IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STRIET 

WEBSTER, NY.  MSEO 

(716)  873-4503 


^^U 


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&. 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


□    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 


n 


0 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restoreu  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pelliculie 


I      I    Cove'  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  coulour 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  nargin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certames  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  iti  filmAes. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exempiaire 
qu'il  lui  a  M  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  ddtaiis 
de  cet  exempiaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vuo  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqute  ci-dessous. 


rn   Coloured  riages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculies 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe< 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  iacheties  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachies 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  inAgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^marlaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


r~~|  Pages  damaged/ 

I      I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I    T  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

Fy]  Pages  detached/ 

I    T*  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I      I  Only  edition  available/ 


D 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  psrtiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  peiura, 
etc.,  ont  6ti  filmies  i  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppi6mentaires: 


Wrinkled  pages  may  film  slightly  out  of  focus. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous 

10X                             14X                             18X                             22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Th«  copy  filmed  here  hae  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film*  f ut  reprodult  grAce  A  la 
gAn^rositt  de: 

La  bibllothdque  des  Archives 
pubilques  du  Canada 


The  Images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  iceeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  bacit  cov    chen  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  ijeginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  Impression. 


Les  images  sulvantes  ont  4tA  reproduites  avec  ie 
plus  grand  soln,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettet*  de  l'exemplaire  flim6,  et  en 
conformit6  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fiimage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  Imprimte  sont  fiimto  en  commenpant 
par  ie  premier  plat  et  en  termlnant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  emprelnte 
d'Impresslon  ou  d'iiiustration,  soit  par  Ie  second 
plat,  salon  ie  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fiimte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premldre  page  qui  comporte  une  emprelnte 
d'impression  ou  d'iiiustration  et  en  termlnant  par 
la  dernlire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
emprelnte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  Ie 
cas:  Ie  symbols  ^^  signlfle  "A  SUIVRE",  Ie 
symbols  y  signlfle  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  fttre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reprodult  en  un  seul  cllch6, 11  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angie  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  Ie  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iiiustrent  la  mtthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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111 ERICAN  AXTiqfUITIlSS, 


AND 


DISCOVERIES  15  THE  WEST  : 

BEING  ':. 

AN  EXHIBITION  OF  THE  EVl!>ENCE 


'S,, 


THAT  AN  ANCIKNT  POPULATION  OF  PARTIALLY  CIVILIZBD  HATIOItf , 
DIFFERING     SNTIRELY    FROM    THOSE   OF  THE   PRESENT   Ilf« 
■       SIANS,  PEOPLED  AMERICA,  MANY  CBHTPRIE8  BEFOHB 

^,JWrM«>  ^^>  iHliK    ITS    DISCOVERY   BY   COLUMBUS.        f/'^sfe' 

](irciuuxBff  xirao  •»»»»  OBzonr, 

; viv-'  -^  <».  •   '  1;   '      ■-••    '•■        .-WITH   A 

Y"    ■ 

COPIOUS  DESCBIPTION 

C.  Qf  mjuiy  of  their  atupeadons  l^ftf ]p^  now  in  r^dlfff*  J 

#'1-1^^  WITH        'f-ViJ^,'"^ 

'■t\^.        CONJECTURES    CONCERNING  WHAT  MAY   HAVE 


•  h 


■\ 


BECOME   OF   THEM. 

COMPILED  "" 

FROM  TRAVELS,   AUTHENTIC   BOUnCES,   AND  THE  RXSEARCHXlf 

*<  OF      • 


BY  JOSIAH  PRIEST^ 


.  « 


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^" 


Second  BdiUon  RoyiMcl. 


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,  ;  ALBAJVY:         -         >  4^ 

PRINTED   BY   HOFFMAN   AND   yflAVtft 

,j^    ^         No.  71,  State-Street         / 


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W88. 


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*»»«->*'.  Kll  VfcHjr, 


JNORTHERN  DISTRICT  OP  NEW-YORK,  To  wft  r 

Be  it  umunuuKutD,  that  on  the  twenty-iirst  (lay  ofMarclV,. 
Anno  Domini,  1888,  JoiiiiH  Pr^kst,  of  the  said  district,  hath 
depotited  in  this  office  a  book,  the  title  of  which  is  in  the  words 
followinK,  to  wit :  "  American  Antiquities,  and  Discoveries  in  the 
Watt :  Being  aa  exhibition  of  the  evidence  that  an  ancient  Po- 
'  pulation  of  putially  civilized  Nations,  differing  entirely  fh>m  those 
of  the  prew^t  Indians,  peopled  America,  many  centuries  before  its  discovery 
if  Cdumbua.  And  Inquiries  into  their  Origin,  with  a  copious  description  of 
fiiany'^dieiratupendoas  woriH,  now  in  ruins.  With  Conjectures  concerning 
what  may  have  become  of  them.  Compiled  from  travels,  authentic  sources, 
and  the  Riesearches  of  Antiquarian  Societies.  By  Josiah  Priiist."  The 
right  whereof  he  claims  as  author  and  proprietor — In  conformity  with  au  Act  of 
Congress,  ontitled  An  Act  to  amend  the  several  Acts  respecting  Copy  Rights. 

RUTGER  fi.  MILLER, 
Clerk  U.  S.  D.  C.  JV.  i>.  JV.  Y. 


ERRATA  TO  THE  PLATE.'         * 

Letter  A.  page  216  and  262. 

Letter  E.  page  216. 

Letter  B.  page  217,  218.  1^^ 

Letter  C.  page  219. 

Letter  D.  ps^yes  180,  181. 182. 

Letter  6.  page  898. 
Plate  referring  to  pages  244,  245,  described  on  page  238.* 
No.  8&,'^n  the  plate  at  page  196,  placed  there  by  mistake. 


/:-— -^•^;- 


"ff;:^' 


j/^IJbwJKjtr'i  .itfloilwi  I!»«triti;';':TS     PREFACE.    !(^  ;»;''.'  ii.diiJtcStfi  ,- 

The  volume  now  laid  before  the  public,  ii  lubmitted  under  ihe  plefta* 
tig  hope  that  it  will  not  be  unacceptable,  although  the  mibject  of  the  An< 
tiquities  of  Americn  it  eveiy  where  surrounded  with  its  mytteriei  ;  on  which 
account,  we  hare  been  compelled  to  wander  widely  ia  the  ield  of  coi\jecture, 
from  which  it  is  not  impowible  but  we  may  have  gathered  and  pretented  some 
original  and  novel  opinions. 

We  have  fpH  that  we  are  bound  by  the  nature  of  the  subject,  to  treat  wlielly 
on  those  matters  which  relate  to  ages  preceding  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus  ;  as  we  apprehend  no  subject  connected  with  the  history  of 
the  continent  since,  can  be  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  Antiquitibs  of 
America. 

If  we  may  be  permitted  to  judge  from  the  liberal  subscription  thi*1(roik  ha« 
met  with,  notwithstanding  the  universal  prejudice  against  subscribing  for  books, 
we  should  draw  the  conclusion,  that  this  curious  subject,  has  not  its  m^y  admi- 
rers witiiin  the  pdes  of  Antiquarian  Societies. 

'  If  it  is  pleasing  as  well  as  useful  to  know  the  history  of  one's  country,  if  to 
feel  a  rising  interest  as  its  beginnings  are  unfolded  ;  its  sufferings,  its  wars,  its 
struggles,  and  its  victories,  delineated  ;  why  not  also,  when  the  story  of  its  an- 
tiquities, though  of  a  graver  and  more  majestic  nature,  arc  attempted  to  be 
rehearsed. 

'^  The  traits  of  the  antiquities  of  the  eld  world  are  every  where  shown  by  the 
fragments  of  dilapidated  cities,  pjrramids  of  stone,  and  walls- of  wondrous  length  ^ 
but  here  are  the  wrecks  of  (tup^re,  whose  beginnings  it  wonld  seem,  are  older 
than  any  c:/' these,  which  are  the  mounds  and  works  of  the  west,  towering  aloft 
as  if  their  builders  were  preparing  against  another  flood. 

We  have  undertaken  to  elicit  arguments,  from  what  we  suppose  evidence,. 

4 

that  the  flr»t  inhabitants  who  peopled  America,  came  on  by  land,  at  certain 
plaoes,  where  it  is  supposed  once  to  have  been  united  with  Asia,  Europe,  and 
.  Africa,  but  has  been  torn  asunder  by  the  force  of  earthquakes,  and  the  irrup- 
tions of  the  waters,  so  that  what  animals  had  not  passed  over  befbre  fiiis  great 
physical  rupture,  were  for  ever  excluded  ;  but  not  to  with  men,  as  they  could 
|-P9ort  to  the  use  of  boats,  ^  ilL    ,  f 


v^X 


*-. 


If  ^m^  PREFACE. 

W«  hare  gtthend  luch  evidence  u  inducne  a  belief  that  America  waa,  an* 

dantly,  inhabited  with  partially  civilized  and  agricultural  nations,  surpassing 

in  namben,  its  present  population.    This,  we  imagine,  we  prove,  in  the  disco- 

rery  of  thousands  of  the  traits  of  tlie  ancient  operations  of  men  over  the  entire 

cultivated  parts  of  the  continent,  in  the  forms  and  under  the  character  of  mounds 

and  fortifications,  abounding  particularly  in  the  western  regions. 

We  have  also  ventured  conjectures  respecting  what  natlt'ns,  In  some  few  in- 

,rltancea,may  have  settled  here ;  also  what  may  have  become  of  them.  We  have 

entered  on  an  examination  of  kome  of  those  works,  and  of  some  of  the  articles 

.  Hound  on  opening  some  few  of  their  tumuli  ;  which  wc  have  compared  with 

similar  articles  found  in  similar  works  in  various  parts  of  the  other  continents, 

,, lilcpm  which  very  curious  results  are  ascertained.  _  ^_ ..  ^,.^    .^^j  ^^ 

,    fA»  it  i-espects  some  of  the  ancient  nations  who  may  have  found  their  way 

;  hither,  we  perceive  a  strong  probability,  that  not  only  Asiatic  nations,  very  soon 

■.  ai^er  the  flood,  but  that  also,  all  aiong  the  different  eras  of  time,  different  races 

of  men,  as  Polynesians,  Malays,  Australasians,  Phusnicians,  Egyptians,  Greeks, 

,  Romaas,  Israelites,  Tartars,  Scandinavians,  Danes,  ^'o^w^|Klaps,  Wel(;)),  and 

Scotch,  have  colonized  different  parts  of  the  continent.  f- 

'We  liave  also  attempted  to  show  that  America  was  peopled  before  the  flood  ; 
that  it  was  the  country  of  Noah,  and  die  place  where  the  ark  was  erected. 
,,  The  highly  interesting  subject  oi  American  Antiquities,  we  are  inclined  to  be- 
.  Jieve,  is  but  just  commencing  to  be  developed.  The  immensity  of  countiy  yet 
.^yood  the  settlements  of  men,  towards  the  Pacific,  is  yet  to  be  explored  by 
,  cultivation,  when  other  evidences,  and  wider  spread,  will  come  to  view,  afford!* 
ing,  perhaps,  more  definite  conclusions. 

i  As  aids  in  maturing  this  volume,  we  have  consulted  the  works  of  philosophers, 
.  hjatotians,  tiavellers,  geographers,  and  gazetteen,  with  miscellaneous  notices  on 
^  m^  iubject,  as  found  in  the  periodicals  of  the  day.    The  subject  has  proved  aa 
^  ^ifficult.as  mysterious  ;  any  disorder  and  inaccuracies,  therpfpie,  in  point  of  in- 
ferences which  we  have  made,  we  beg  may  not  become  the  subjects  of  the  se- 
.  Yf  rities  of  criticism. 

.  If,  however,  we  should  succeed  in  aw-akening  a  desire  to  a  farther  investiga- 
|.Ju>n  ofthis  curious  subject,  and  should  have  the  singular  happiness  of  securing 
.mty  degree  of  public  respect,  and  of  giving  the  subscriber  an  equivalent  for  his 
:  pfi|t|Ofkage,  the  utmost  ol  the  desires  of  the  autlior  will  bo  realized.       ^    ,     ;^^' 


>  1  i't  ■ 


JOSIAH  PRIEST. 


t /•►-i'l^O"' 


•I  I .  "ill  >. 

.'pi 


CONTENTS. 


'.'I  (t  >''<,*^-»»{  i  WM»ji« 
•  •  •  •.■I'jiiiriw'     ill  "iu  5«ut* 

■   '  -    ■  ngt' 

Location  of  Mount  Ararat,*  .....••. 9 

Traits  of  the  history  of  the  Chinese  before  the  flood,  and  their  i 

?•'  account  of  it,  with  other  curious  matters, 10 

The  supposed  origin  of  human  complexions,  with  the  ancient  <>,<> 
signirications  of  the  names  of  the  three  sons  of  Noah,  see 

pages, 14,  291 ,  294,  351 

Respecting  a  division  of  the  earth  by  Noah  among  his  three 

sons, 31 

Supposed  identity  and  real  name  of  Melchisedec  of  the  Scrip-       :^ 
tures— of  qualifications  for  the  Jewish  priesthood — and  of  the 

location  of  Paradise, • 23 

Division  of  the  earth  in  the  days  of  Pelrg,  and  of  the  spread-  . 
ing  out  of  the  nations  from  Ararat,  with  other  curious  mat- 

-  ters, 81 

Antiquities  of  the  west,  consisting  of  mounds,  tumuli,  and  for- 
tifications,      37 

Ruins  of  a  Roman  fort  at  Marietta,  with  conjecture!*  how  they 

may  have  found  this  country, 41 

Discovery  of  a  subterranean  cavity  of  mason  work,  supposed 
to  have  been  erected  by  one  of  the  admirals  of  Alexander,  ^''''^' 


in  America,  300  years  before  Christ,«  • . • 

Ireland  known  to.th§  Greeks  200  years  before  Christ, 

Discoveries  of  subterranean  hecrths  and  fire  places,  on   the 

shAres  of  the. Ohio,  with  conjectures  about  their  origin,*  •  •  • 

Difcovery  of  a  curious  cup  of  earthen  ware,.  • 

Course  of  the  Ten  lost  Tribes  of  Israel,  with  conjectures  about 

!  .the  land  of  Asareth,  and  convulsions  of  the  globe, 

Traits  of  Israelites  in  Lapland,  with  accounts  of  their  theology, 

resembling  that  of  the  Jews, •  • . 

Traits  of  the  Jews  found  in  Pittsfield,  Mass ...;.... 

A  late  discovery  of  a  vast  body  of  Jews  in  India,* « •  *  >  - 


44 

48 

49 
65 


.67 


W-:^ 


H.  ■  £• 


-r 


:./*■, 


M     f»f:  CONTENTS. 

-'                                                  _                                     ^                  Page. 
A  farriier  accownt  of  tlie  convulsions  of  the  globe,  with  the  re- 
moval of  islands,  &c. 79 

Of  the  island  Atalantis,  of  the  ancients,  supposed  to  have  been 

situated  between  Europe  and  America,  •  •  •  • 80 

Evidences  of  an  ancient  population  in  America,  different  from 

that  of  the  Indians, 83 

Discoveries  on  the  Muskingum,  of  the  traits  of  ancient  nations, 
consisting  of  mounds,  tumuli,  a  vault,  brass  rings,  a  large 
skeleton,  stone  abutments  of  ancient  bridges,  a  tesselated 
pavement,  with  articles  denoting  a  Hindoo  population,  •  •  •  •     87 

Origin  of  houses  among  men,  •  •  •  •  • 97 

Great  works  of  the  ancient  nations  at  Zanesville,  Ohio, 09 

DJscoTcry  of  a  quantity  of  metallic  balls  hidden  by  the  an- 
cient nations,  supposed  to  have  been  gold,  with  conjectures 

concerning  their  use, •  •  •  •    101 

Use  of  the  sling  by  the  ancient  nations  in  America,  &c..  •  •  •  •    104 

Remains  of  ancient  pottery  in  the  west, •  •  •  106 

A  catacomb  of  embalmed  mummies  found  in  Kentucky,  sup- 
posed to  be  of  Egyptian  origin,  with  suppositions  how  they 

may  have  found  America, 110 

A  fac  simile  of  the  true  Phoenician  letters, 116 

Ancient  letters  or  alphabets  of  Africa  and  of  America,  with  a 

fac  simile  of  their  shapes,  showing  them  to  be  one  in  origin,  1 18 
A  further  account  of  western  antiquities,  with  antediluvian 
traits,  the  breaking  up  of  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep, 

and  of  the  building  of  the  ark  of  Noah  in  America, 125 

The  skeleton  of  a  whale  recently  found  in  Virginia,  near  an 

hundred  miles  from  the  sea, , 133 

Discovery  of  an  ivory  image  in  a  bone  mound  at  Cincinnati, 

with  conjectures  respecting  it, 135 

Sculptured  hieroglyphics  found  in  a  cave  on  the  Ohio,  and  of 

the  banditti  who  inhabited  it, '  138 

Accounts  of  the  bones  of  the  mammoth  in  the  west, f44 

Tracks  of  men  and  animals  in  the  rocks  of  Tennessee  and 

elsewhere, 150 

Cotubamana,  the  giant  chief  of  an  American  island,  his  tragi- 

M'  cal  end,  with  other  curious  notices, 153 

A  further  Account  of  discoveries  in  the  west,  as  given  by  the 
Antiquarian  society  at  Cincinnati, 153 


\ 


CONTENtS.  vil 

Page 

Vast  works  of  the  aucient  nations  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mus- 
kingum, with  a  map  of  three  fortifications  as  they  now  appear 

in  ruins, <   161 

Ruins  of  ancient  works  at  Circleville,  Ohio, 163 

Ancient  works  on  Painit  Creek,  Ohio, 166 

Ancient  wells  found  in  the  bottom  of  Paint  Creek, 168 

A  recent  discovery  of  one  of  those  ancient  works  among  the 

Alleghanies, 169 

Description  of  western  tumuli  and  mounds, 170 

A  copper  cross  found  on  the  breast  of  a  skeleton,  also  traits  of      '  * 

a  Hindoo  population  in  the  west, 180 

Great  works  of  the  ancient  nations  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint 

Creek, 183 

Traits  of  ancient  cities  on  the  Mississippi, 187 

Tradition  of  the  native  Mexicans,  respecting  their  migrations   '«  « 

from  the  north, 189 

Supposed  uses  of  the  ancient  roads  found  connected  with  the 

mounds, 193 

Traits  of  the  Mosaic  history  found  among  the  Azteca  Indians, 
with  an  engraving,   which  represents  men,  receiving  the    '  '^ 

languages  from  a  bird,  and  Noah  in  his  ark, .  •  • 196 

Ceremonies  of  the  worship  of  fire  as  practised  by  certain  In-      ^ 

dian  tribes  on  the  Arkansas, 209 

Origin  of  the  worship  of  fire, 212 

A  further  account  of  western  antiquities, 214 

Discovery  of  America  by  the  Norwegians,  Danes  and  Welch 

before  the  time  of  Columbus, 224 

Traditions  of  the  Florida  Indians,  that  Florida  was  once  in-    ^j  ^ 
habited  by  white  people,  before  Columbus,  with  evidences   J^;  j 

of  the  same, 234 

Specimens  of  mason-work  of  the  ancient  nations, 23& 

Ruins  of  the  city  of  Otolum,  in  America  of  Peruvian  origin  241 
Great  stone  calendar  of  the  Mexicans,  with  an  engraving, ....  246 

Great  stone  castle  of  Iceland, 249 

A  further  account  of  the  evidence  of  colonies  from  Europe  be-     iv 

fore  Columbus, 251 

Large  quantity  of  brass  found  in  Scipio  in  a  field  once  belong- 
ing to  the  ancient  nations; -.-.-.-..,-.  ^  z^^as.  > « 254 

A  further  account  of  western  antiquities, 256 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

.Page. 

A  discription  of  articles  found  in  the  tumuli, 260 

Great  size  of  some  of  the  Mexican  mounds, 267 

Predilection  of  the  ancients  to  pyramid  building, ...  i ... .  268 
Shipping  and  voyages  of  the  Mongol  Tartars,  and  their  set- 
tlements on  the  western  coast  of  North  America, 273 

A  further  account  of  western  antiquities, 279 

Various  opinions  respecting  the  original  inhabitants  of  Ame- 
rica,  282 

Further  remarks  on  the  subject  of  human  complexions,....  291 

Still  further  remarks  on  human  complexions, 294 

Canibals  in  America, 299 

Ancient  languages  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  America, 304 

A  fac  simile,  or  engraving  of  the  glyphs  of  Otolum,  a  city,  the 

ruins  of  which  is  found  in  South  America, 307 

Languages  and  nations  of  North  America, 309 

Languages  and  nations  of  South  America, 310 

The  Atlantic  nations  of  America, 313 

Further  accounts  of  colonies  from  Europe  before  the  time  of 

Columbus, 316 

Primitive  origin  of  the  English  language, 325 

Colonies  of  the  Danes  in  America,. , 333 

Chronology  of  the  the  Iroquois  Indians, 346 

African  tribe  found  in  South  America, 349 

Disappearance  of  many  of  the  western  lakes,  and  of  the  for- 
mation of  sea  coal, 352 

Further  remarks  on  the  draining  of  the  western  country  of  its 

ancient  lakes,. 367 

Causes  of  the  disappearance  of  the  ancient  nations, 373 

Lake  Ontario  formed  by  a  Volcanoe, . '. 376 

Resemblance  of  the  western  Indians  to  the  ancient  Greeks,...  383 

Traits  of  the  ancient  Romans  in  America, 389 

American  Indian  languages, 393 

Languages  of  Oregon  Chopunish  and  Chinuc, ^ 89$ 

Gold  mines  in  the  Southc  in  States, 397 

These  mines  known  to  the  ancients  by  the  instruments  dis- 
covered,      398 


■..-m , 


m 


''[in- 


.;*;i'.  >    >?;* 


\ 
■.■■■;T 


'.    'Ci 


AMCRICAU  ANTICtlTlTIBS 


ARP 


BIS^OTCRIfilS  IIV 


S^VEST. 


•.'■■■.  V 


A  LOFTt  summit,  on  a  range  of  mountains,  called  Arafat,  ifl 
Asia,  furnished  the  resting  place  of  the  Ark,  which  contained  the 
progenitors  of  both  man  and  animals,  who  have  replenu^ed  tht 
Globe  since  the  era  of  the  Deluge. 

Ararat,  is  a  chain  of  mountains,  running  partly  round  the  south- 
em  end  of  the  Caspian,  and  is  situated  between  the  Caspian  and 
Black  Seas  ;  in  latitude  north,  about  38  deg.  agreeing  with  tha 
middle  of  the  United  States,  and  is  from  London  a  distance  of  about 
two  thousand  four  hundred  miles,  in  a  southeasterly  course,  and 
from  the  city  of  Albany,  in  the  United  States,  is  nearly  six  thou* 
sand,  in  an  exact  easterly  direction,  and  the  same  latitude,  except 
a  variation  of  but  three  degrees  south. 

We  have  been  thus  particular  to  describe  the  exact  situation,  as 
generally  allowed,  of  that  range  of  mountains  ;  because  from  tin* 
place,  which  is  nearly  on  the  western  end  of  the  Asiatic  continent^ 
Noah  and  his  posterity  descended,  and  spread  themselves  over  map 
ny  parts  of  the  earth,  and,  as  we  suppose,  even  to  America,  re« 
newing  the  race  of  man,  which  well  nigh  had  become  extinct  from 
the  devastation  and  ruin  of  the  universal  flood. 

But  that  the  flood  of  Noah  was  universal)  is  gravely  doubted  ;  in 
proof  of  which,  the  abettors  of  this  doubt,  bring  the  traditional  bistch 
ry  of  the  ancient  Chinese.  Professor  Rafinesque,  of  the  city  of  Phi- 
ladelphia, confessedly  a  learned  and  most  able  antiquarian,  has  re* 
eently  Advanced  the  following  exceedingly Jnterestiug  and  eurioui 


matter. 


a 


'^'-i.::;;-"'^'-;"'- 


10 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


"  History  of  China  before  the  Flood.  The  traditions  preserved 
by  many  ancient  nations  of  the  earliest  history  of  the  earth  and  man- 
kind, be/ore  and  after  the  great  geological  floods,  which  have  deso- 
lated the  globe,  are  highly  interesting  ;  they  belong  at  once  to 
geology,  archeology,  history,  and  many  other  sciences.  They  are 
the  only  glimpses  to  guide  us  where  the  fossil  remains  or  medals  of 
nature,  are  silent  or  unknown. 

Ancient  China  was  in  the  eastern  slopes  and  branches  of  the- 
mountains  of  Central  Asia,  the  hoary  Imalayay  where  it  is  as  yet 
very  doui(/u/ whether  the  flood  thoroughly  extended."  ^.  ; 

But  though  this  is  doubted,  we  cannot  subscribe  to  the  opinion, 
however  great  our  deference  may  be  for  the  ability  and  research  of 
those  who  have  ventured  to  doubt.  We  feel  by  far  a  greater  de- 
ference to  the  statement  of  the  author  of  the  Hebrew  Genesis  ;  a 
historian  of  the  highest  accredited  antiquity.  This  author  says 
plainly,  that  "  ull  the  high  hills  under  the  vohole  heaven  were  cover- 
ed ;"  and  that "  fifteen  cubits,"  und  upwards,  did  the  waters  pre- 
vail ;  and  the  mountains  were  covered.  But  not  so,  if  we  are  to 
believe  these  doubters-  A  very  large  tract  oi  country  of  Central 
Asia  was  exempt  from  the  flood  of  Noah. 

This  opinion,  which  contradicts  the  Bible  account  of  that  flood, 
in  founded  on  "  the  traditional  history  of  China,  which  speaks  of 
two  great  floods  which  desolated,  but  did  not  overflow  the  land. 
They  answer,  says  Mr.  Rafinesque,  to  the  two  great  floods  of  Noah 
and  Peleg,  recorded  in  the  Bible.  "  The  latter,  the  flood  of  Peleg, 
or  Yao,  iu  China,  was  caused,  he  says,  by  volcanic  paroxysms  all 
over  the  earth ;"  but ''  much  less  fatal  than  the  flood  of  Noah,  or 
Yu-ti,  in  China."  : 

Respecting  this  flood,  "  the  following  details  are  taken  chiefly 
from  the  Chinese  historians,  Liu-yu  and  Lo-pi,  whose  works  are 
called  Y-tse,  and  Uai-ki,  as  partly  translated  by  Leroux."  These 
say,  that  "■  the  first  flood  happened  under  the  8th  Ki,  or  period 
called  Yu-ti,  and  the  first  emperor  of  it,"  was  "  Chin-sang,  about 
3,170  years  before  Christ." 

But  neither  can  this  be,  as  the  flood  of  Noah  took  place  1,656 
years  from  the  creation,  which  would,  therefore,  be  but  2,344  years 
before  Christ ;  being  a  mistake  of  about  826  years.  And,  there- 
fore, if  there  is  any  truth  in  the  Chinese  history  at  all,  those  histo- 
rians must  have  alluded  to  some  flood  before  that  of  Noah  ;  an  ac- 


AND   DISCOVEBIK8   IN   THE   WEST. 


11 


count  of  which  may  have  been  received  from  Noah  himself,  and 
^  prtaerved  in  the  Chinese  historfes.  Mum 

The  flood  alluded  to,  by  the  above  named  historian,  did  not, 
it  is  true,  overflow  the  whole  earth,  but  it  was  such  as  that  the 
waters  did  not  return  to  their  usual  channels  for  a  long  time  ;  "  the 
misery  of  mankind  was  extreme  ;  the  beasts  and  serpents  were 
very  numerous  ;'*  being  driven  together  by  the  pursuit  of  the  wa- 
ters, and  also  "  storms  and  cold"  had  greatly  increased.  Chin-sang 
collected  the  wandering  men  to  unite  against  the  wild  beasts, 
to  dress  their  skins  for  clothing,  and  to  weave  their  fur  into  webs 
and  caps.  This  emperor  was  venerated  for  these  benefits,  and  be- 
gan a  Shi,  or  dynasty,  that  lasted  350  years." 

All  this  would  suit  very  well  to  the  character  of  Nimrod,  whom 
we  are  much  inclined  to  think  the  Chinese  historians  pdint  out, 
instead  of  any  king  before  the  era  of  the  flood  of  Noah. 

But  to  the  research  of  this  highly  gifted' antiquarian,  Rafinesque, 
we  are  greatly  indebted  in  one  important  respect :  It  is  well  known 
that  persons  in  the  learned  world  have  greatly  admired  the  boasted 
antiquity  of  the  Chinese  nations,  who,  by  their  records,  make  the 
earth  much  older  than  does  Moses.  But  this  philosopher  on  this 
subject  writes  as  follows  :  "  The  two  words,  Ki  and  Shij  translat- 
ed period  and  dynasty^  or  family,  are  of  some  importance.  As  they 
now  stand  translated,  they  would  make  the  world  very  old  ;  since 
no  less  than  ten  Ki,  or  periods,  are  enumerated,  (we  are  in  the 
10th  ;)  wherein  232  Shi,  or  dynasties  of  emperors,  are  said  to  have 
ruled  in  China,  during  a  course  of  276,480  years  before  Christ, 
at  the  lowest  computation  ;  and  96,962,220  before  Christ,  at  the 
highest ;  with  many  intermediary  calculations,  by  various  au- 
thors. ^'V 

But  if  Ki,  he  says,  may  also  mean  a  dynasty.,  or  division,  or  people, 
as  it  appears  to  do  in  sosae  instances,  and  Shi,  an  age,  or  a  tribe,  or 
reign,  the  whole  preposterous  computation  will  prove  false,  or  be  easi- 
ly reduced  to  agree  with  those  of  the  Hindoos,  Persians  and  Egyp- 
tians ;"  and  come  within  the  age  of  the  earth  as  given  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

If  the  central  region  of  Asia  may  have  been  exempted  from  that 
flood,  we  may  then  safely  inquire,  whether  other  parts  of  the  globe 
may  not  also  have  been  exempt :  wherri  men  and  animals  v/ere 
preserved  ;  and  thus  the  account  of  the  Ark,  in  which,  as  related 


It 


AMERICAN   AKTIQUITIBS 


by  Mowf ,  both  men  and  animals  were  saved,  is  completely  ovor- 
torned.  But  the  universal  traditions  of  all  nations,  contradict  this, 
while  the  earth,  every  where,  shows  signs  of  the  operations  of  the 
waters,  in  agreement  with  this  universal  tradition.  If  such  a  flood 
never  took  place,  which  rushed  over  the  earth  with  extraordinary 
yiolence,  how,  it  may  be  inquired,  are  there  found  in  Siberia,  in 
north  latitude  60  and  70  deg.,  great  masses  of  the  hones  of  the 
elephant  and  rhinoceros — aninlals  of  the  hot  regions  of  the  equator. 
From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  flood  which  wafted  the  bodies  of 
those  animals,  rolled  exactly  over  all  China  and  the  Hindoo  re- 
gions, and  the  Theba  above  mentioned.  In  all  parts  of  the  earth,  even 
on  the  highest  regions  and  mountains,  are  found  oceanic  remains. 
Whales  have  been  found  in  the  mountains  of  Greenland,  and  also 
in  other  parts,  as  in  America,  far  from  the  ocean. 

Chinese  history,  it  is  true,  gives  an  account  of  many  floods, 
which  have  ruined  whole  tracts  of  that  country,  as  many  as  sixty- 
five,  one  of  which,  in  the  year  185  before  Christ,  it  is  said,  formed 
that  body  of  water  called  the  Yellow  Sea,  situated  between  Corea 
and  China. 

But  were  the  history  of  American  floods  written,  occasioned  by 
nmilar  causes  ;  such  as  rivers  rupturing  their  mountain  barriers  ; 
the  shocks  of  earthquakes,  since  the  time  of  Noah's  flood  ;  who 
could  say  there  would  not  be  as  many.  We  shall  have  occasion 
to  speak  of  this  subject  before  we  close  this  volume. 

It  is  said  that  the  history  of  China  gives  an  account  of  the  state 
of  mankind  before  the  flood  of  Yuti,  or  Noah,  and  represents  them  as 
having  been  happy,  ruled  by  benevolent  monarchs,  who  took  no- 
thing and  gave  much  ;  the  world  submitted  to  their  virtues  and 
good  laws  ;  they  wore  no  crowns,  but  long  hair  ;  never  made  war, 
and  put  no  one  to  death.  But  this  is  also  contrary  to  the  account 
of  Moses ;  who  says  the  earth  before  the  flood  was  corrupt  before 
God,  and  was  filled  with  violence.  But  they  carry  their  descrip- 
tion of  the  happiness  of  men  so  high,  as  to  represent  perfect  har- 
mony as  having  existed  between  men  and  animals ;  when  men  liv- 
ed on  roots  and  the  fruits  of  the  earth  ;  that  they  did  not  follow 
banting  ;  property  was  common,  and  universal  concord  prevailed. 
From  this  high  wrought  account  of  the  pristine  happiness  of  men, 
we  are  at  once  referred  to  the  original  state  of  Adam  in  Parsdise, 
and  to  his  patriarchal  governmeut  after  his  fall  ;  and  it  is  likely  also 


AND   BiaCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


IS 


to  that  of  his  successors,  till  men  had  odultiplied  in  the  earth  ;  so 
as  to  form  conflicting  interests,  ^vhen  the  rapine  and  violence  com- 
menced, as  spoken  of  by  Moses,  which  it  seems,  grew  worse  and 
worse,  till  the  flood  came  and  took  them  all  away. 

That  the  central  parts  of  Asia  were  not  overflown  by  the  deluge, 
appears  of  vast  importance  to  some  philosophers  of  the  present  dey 
to  be  established,  (or  if  so,  we  see,  say  they,  at  once  how  both  men 
and  animals  were  preserved  from  that  flood ;  and  yet  this  does  not, 
they  say,  militate  against  the  Mosaic  account  ;  for  the  very  word 
Ark,  is,  in  the  original  language,  Theba,  and  signifies,  refugey 
and  is  the  country  of  Thibet.  So  that  when  Moses  talked  about 
an  Ark,  he  only  meant  the  central  part  of  Asia,  or  Thibet,  in  which 
men  and  animals  were  saved.  ,  ,  v  > 'k- .,:tj'  !ui 

But  it  will  not  do  ;  for  the  Mosaic  account  plainly  says,  that  God 
said  to  Noah,  make  thee  an  Ark  of  Gopher  wood.  Surely  Noah  did 
not  make  the  central  parts  of  Asia,  called  Theba,  or  Thibet ;  neither 
was  he  called  upon  to  do  so,  as  it  would  have  taken  much  Gopher 
wood  to  have  formed  the  whole  or  a  part  of  so  large  a  country.  But 
respecting  the  word,  which  is  translated  Ark,  in  the  Scriptures,  it 
is  said  by  Adam  Clarke,  to  be  in  the  original  Tebath,  and  not  Theba 

The  word  Tebath,  he  says,  signifies  vessel,  and  means  no  more 
nor  less  than  a  vessel,  in  its  most  common  acceptation,  a  hollow 
place,  capable  of  containing  persons,  goods,  &c.  The  idea,  there- 
fore, that  the  word  Ark,  signified  the  central  parts  of  Asia,  called 
Theba,  or  Thibet,  falls  to  the  ground  ;  while  the  history  as  given 
by  Moses,  respecting  the  flood  of  Noah,  remains  unshaken.    ,,.,_• 

The  same  author  has  also  discovered  that  a  race  of  Ancient  peo- 
ple, in  South  America,  called  the  Zapotecas,  boast  of  being  ante- 
diluvian in  America,  and  to  have  built  the  city  of  Coat-Ian,  so  nam- 
ed, because  this  city  was  founded  at  a  place  which  swarmed  with 
serpents  ;  therefore  named  Snake-city,  or  Coat-Ian,  built  327  years 
before  the  flood  ;  and  that  at  the  time  of  the  flood  a  remnant  of  them 
together  with  their  king,  named  Pet-ela,  (or  dog,)  saved  themselves 
on  a  mountain  of  the  same  name,  Coat-Ian. 

But  we  consider  this  tradition  to  relate  only  to  the  first  eflforts  at 
house  building  after  the  flood  of  Noah,  round  about  the  region  of 
Ararat,  and  on  the  plains  of  Shinar.  The  very  circumstance  of  this 
tribe  being  still  designated  by  that  of  the  Dog  tribe,  is  an  evidence 
that  they  originated  not  before  the  flood  as  a  nation,  but  in  Asia, 


14 


AMKRICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


since  thst  en ;  for  in  Asia,  as  in  America,  tribes  of  men  have  also 
been  thus  designated,  and  called  after  the  various  animals  of  the 
woods.  The  Snake  Indians  are  well  known  to  the  western  ex- 
jioten  in  America. 


!•■-■ 

i:  ■ 


fy 


-y>- 


.';y 


SUPPOSED  ORIGIN  OF  HUMAN  COMPLEXIONS.  WITH  THE 
ANCIENT  SIGNIFICATION  OF  THE  NAMES  OF  THE  THREE 
SONS  OF  NOAH,  AND  OTHER  CURIOUS  MATTER. 

The  sons  of  Noah  were  threes  as  stated  in  the  book  of  Genesis  ; 
between  whose  descendants  the  whole  earth  in  process  of  time 
became  divided.  This  division  appears  to  have  taken  place,  in 
the  earliest  ages  of  the  first  nations  after  the  flood,  in  such  manner  as 
to  suit,  or  correspond  with  the  several  constitutions  of  those  nations 
in  a  physical  sense,  as  well  as  with  a  reference  to  the  various  com- 
plexions of  the  descendants  of  these  three  heads  of  the  human  race. 

This  preparation  of  the  nations,  respecting  animal  constitution 
and  colour,  at  the  fountain  head,  must  have  been  directed  by  the 
hand  of  the  Creator,  in  an  arbitrary  manner,  by  which  not  only  his 
Sovereignty,  as  the  governor  of  our  earth  with  all  its  tribes,  is  mani- 
fest, but  also  his  Wisdom ;  because  the  tutme  constitution  and  com- 
plexion, which  is  suited  to  the  temperate  and  frigid  zones'of  the 
globe,  could  not  endure  the  burning  climates  of  the  torrid  ;  so  nei- 
ther are  the  constitutions  of  the  equatorial  nations,  so  tempered  as 
to  enjoy  the  snowy  and  ice  bound  regions  in  the  high  latitudes  north 
and  south  of  the  equator. 

The  very  names,  or  words  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth,  were  in 
the  languge  of  Noah,  which  was  probably  the  pure  Hebrew  ;  in 
some  sense  significant  of  their  future  national  character  and  pros- 
perity. We  proceed  to  show  in  what  sense  their  names  were  de- 
scriptive prospectively,  of  their  ceveral  destinies  in  the  earth,  as 
well  also  as  that  Ham^  was  the  very  name  of  his  colour,  or  com- 
plexion. 

The  word  5Acm,  says  Dr.  Clarke,  signifies  renotcn,  in  the  language 
of  Noah  ;  which,  as  that  great  man,  now  no  more,  remarks,  has 
been  wonderfully  fulfilled,  both  in  a  temporal  and  spiritual  sense. 


AND  DISCOVERIES  Iff  THE  WEST. 


If 


In  •  temponi  sense,  first,  as  follows.  His  posterity  spread  them- 
selfes  over  tbe  finest  regions  of  upper  and  middle  Asia — Armenia, 
Mesopotamia,  Assyria,  Media,  Persia,  and  the  Indus,  Ganges,  and 
possibly  to  China,  still  more  eastward. 

The  word  Japhethf  which  was  the  name  of  Noah's  third  son,hus 
also  its  meaning,  and  signifies,  according  to  the  same  author,  that 
which  may  be  exceedingly  enlarged,  and  capable  of  spreading 
to  a  vast  extent. 

His  posterity  diverged  eastward  and  westward  from  Ararat, 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  Asia,  north  of  the  great  range  of 
the  Taurus  and  Ararat  mountains,  as  far  as  the  Eastern  Ocean  ; 
whence,  as  he  supposes,  they  crossed  over  to  America,  at  the 
Straits  of  Bhering,  and  in  the  opposite  direction  from  those  moun- 
tains, throughout  Europe,  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  south  from  Ar- 
arat ;  and  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  west,  from  the  same  region ;  whence 
also  they  might  have  passed  over  to  America,  by  the  way  of  Ice- 
land, Greenland,  and  so  on  to  the  continent,  along  the  coast  of  La- 
brador, where  traces  of  early  settlements  remain,  in  parts  now  de- 
sert. Thus  did  Japheth  enlarge  himself,  till  his  posterity  literally 
encompassed  the  earth,  from  latitude  35  deg.  north,  and  upward, 
toward  the  pole. 

The  word  Ham,  signified  that  which  was  burnt,  or  black.  The 
posterity  of  this  son  of  Noah,  peopled  the  hot  regions  of  the  earth, 
on  either  side  the  equator. 

But  as  it  respects  the  complexions  of  these  heads  of  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  we  remark  as  follows  :  Shem  was  undoubtedly  a  red 
or  copper  coloured  man,  which  was  the  complexion  of  all  the  Ante- 
diluvians. 

This  conclusion  is  drawn  from  the  fact,  that  the  nations  inhabit- 
ing the  countries  named  as  being  settled  or  peopled  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Shetttf  have  always  been,  and  now  are,  <rf'  that  cast.  We 
deem  this  fact  as  conclusive,  that  such  was  also  their  progenitor, 
Shentf  as  that  the  great  and  distinguishing  features  and  complexion 
of  nations  change  not,  so  as  to  disappear.  Shem  was  the  Father  of 
the  Jewish  race,  who  are  of  the  same  hue,  varying  it  is  true,  some 
being  of  a  darker,  and  some  of  a  lighter  shade,  arising  from  secret 
and  undefinable  principles,  placed  beyond  the  research  of  man,  an 
also  from  amalgamations  by  marriage  with  white,  and  with  the  dark- 


But  to  corroborate  our  opiuion,  ibat  the 


16 


▲MEAlCAff   iiNTI^ClTIEf. 


K- 


Antediluvians  were  of  a  red,  or  copper  complexion,  we  bring  thr 
well  known  statement  of  Joscphus,  that  Adam,  the  Jir$t  of  men,  wa» 
a  red  man,  made  of  red  earth,  called  virgin  earth,  becauoe  of  ib» 
beauty  and  pureness.    The  word  Adam^  he  also  says,  signifies  that 
colour  which  is  red.     To  this  account,  the  tradition  of  the  Jews  cor- 
responds, who,  as  they  are  the  people  most  concerned,  should  ba 
allowed  to  know  most  about  it. 

Shem,  therefore,  must  have  been  a  red  man,  derived  from  the 
complexion  of  the  first  man,  Adam.     And  his  posterity,  as  above 
described,  are  accordingly  of  the  same  complexion  ;  this  is  well 
known  of  all  the  Jews,  unmixed  with  those  nations  that  are  fairer, 
as  attested  by  history,  and  the  traveller  of  every  age,  in  the  coun- 
tries they  inhabit.  ;<  '       iv..  ,     ..,  ;j. 

The  word  Ham,  which  was  the  name  of  the  second  son  of  Noah, 
is  the  word  which  was  descriptive  of  the  colour  which  is  black,  or 
burnt.     This  we  show  from  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Hales,  of  Eng- 
land, who  was  a  celebrated  natural  philosopher  and  mathematician, 
of  the  17th  century,  who  is  quoted  by  Adam  Clarke,  to  show  that 
the  XBord  Ham,  in  the  language  of  Noah,  which  was  that  of  the 
Antpdiluvians,  was  the  term  for  that  which  was  black. 

It  is  not  possible,  from  authority  so  high  and  respectable,  that 
doubts  can  exist  respecting  the  legitimacy  of  this  word,  and  of  its 
ancient  application.    Accordingly,  as  best  suited  to  the  cumplexion 
of  the  descendants  of  Ham,  the  hot  regions  of  the  equatcur  were  al- 
lotted to  those  nations.         >       i-r/     V,   .       ;'     ,i;;(r.    .....,■  c'u.ti*. 

To  the  Cushites,  the  southern  climes  of  Asia,  along  the  coast  of 
the  PersianGuIf,  Susiane,  or  Cushistan,  Arabia,  Canaan,  Palestine, 
Syria,  Egypt,  and  Lybia,  in  Africa.     These  countries  were  settled 
by  the  posterity  of  Ham,  who  were,  and  now  are,  of  a  glossy 
black. 

'    But  the  vast  variety  of  shades  and  hues  of  the  human  face,  are 
derived  from  amalgamations    of  the  three  original  complexions, 
red,  black,  and  white.    This  v/ar>  the  act  of  God,  giving  to  the  three 
persons,  upon  whom  the  earth's  population  depended,  by  way  of 
perpetuity,  such  complexions,  and  animal  constitutions,  as  should 
be  best  suited  to  the  several  climates,  which  he  intended,  ioi  (be 
progress  of  his  providence,  they  should  inhabit.        ;..... 

Tbe  people  of  these  countries,  inhabited  respectively  by  these 
beads  of  nations,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth,  atill  retain,  in  full 
force,  the  ancient,  pristine  red,  white,  and  black  complexions,  ex- 


AND  DltCOVEUEB  IM  THE  WEST. 


of 


iree 

of 

uld 

the 


cept  vfluite  each  have  intraded  upon  the  other,  and  became  Mat- 
tered, and  mingled,  in  some  degree,  over  the  earth.  Accordingly, 
among  the  African  nations,  in  their  own  proper  countries,  now  and 
then  a  colony  of  whites  have  fixed  their  dwellings.  Among  the 
red  nations,  are  found,  here  and  there,  as  in  some  of  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific,  the  pure  African,  and  both  the  black  and  the  red,  are 
found  among  the  white  nations,  but  now  much  more  than  in  the 
earliest  ages,  a  general  amalgamation,  of  the  three  original  colours, 
exists. 

Much  has  been  written  to  establish  the  doctrine  of  the  influence 
of  climate  and /ood,  in  producing  the  vast  extremes,  between  a  fair 
and  ruddy  white,  and  a  jet  black.     But  this  mode  of  reasoning  to 
establish  the  origin  of  the  human  complexion,  we  imagine,  very  in- 
conclusive and  unsatisfactory  ;  as  it  is  found  that  no  distance  of 
space,  lapse  of  ages,  change  of  diet,  or  of  countries,  can  possibly 
**  remove  the  Leopard's  spots,  or  change  the  Ethiopian's  skin." — 
No  lapse  of  ages  has  been  known  to  change  a  white  man  and  his  pos- 
terity to  the  exact  hue  or  «hape  of  an  African,  although  the  hottest 
rays  of  the  burning  clime  of  Lybia,  may  have  scorched  him  ages 
unnumbered,  and  its  soil  have  fed  him  with  its  roots  and  berries, 
an  equal  length  of  time.    It  is  granted,  however,  that  a  white  man 
with  his  posterity  will  tan  very  dark  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  ;  but 
it  never  can  alter,  as  it  never  has,  materially  altered,  the  shape  of 
his  face,  from  that  which  was  characteristic  of  his  nation,  or  people, 
nor  the  form  of  his  limbs,  nor  his  curled  hair,  turning  it  to  a  wooly 
provided  always,  the  blood  be  kept  pure  and  unmixed,  by  marriaj|;es 
with  the  African.         '  '  '       v    ■"  '  "-'^•''■■ 

Power  in  the  decomposition  of  food,  by  the  human  stomach,  does 
not  exist  of  sufficient  force  to  overturn  the  deep  foundation  of  causes 
established  in  the  very  germ  of  being,  by  the  Creator.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  what  a  man  may  eat,  or  where  he  may  chance  to 
breathe,  cannot  derange  the  economy  of  first  principles-  Were  it 
so,  it  were  not  a  hard  matter  for  the  poor  African,  if  he  did  but 
know  this  choice  trait  of  philosopliy,  to  take  hope  and  shake  off  en<> 
tirely  his  unfortunate  skin,  in  process  of  time,  and  no  longer  be 
exposed,  solely  on  that  account,  to  slavery,  chains,  and  wretch- 
edness. 

But  the  inveteracy  of  complexion  against  the  operation  of  climate, 
is  evinced  by  the  following,  as  related  by  Morse.    On  the  eastern 

3 


.f» 


AliEKlCitff  AifTI«tflTICi    i:^^ 


1^  ; 


«l^  I  Afric»,iii  l0Hta4i>  H  deg.  north,  tre  found  Jet,  black,  tfwoff 
olive,  k.  '  whUp  inhabiiarrtB,  «M  speaking  the  same  language,  whieh 
is  the  Arabic.  This  particular  part  of  Africa  ia  called  the  Magt^ 
dozo  kingdom  :  the  inhabitants  an  j  stout,  warlike  nation,  of  the 
Mohometan  reit^'on.  Here,  it  appears,  is  permanent  evidence,  L)«t 
clinuate  or  food  have  no  efTtrt  in  materially  changing  the  huea  of 
dm  complexion,  each  retaining  heir  own  original  tincture ;  even  the 
wAtito  ia  found  as  atubbom  in  tliia  torrid  sky,  as  the  black  in  the 
northern  countries.  •.  f^- 

The  whites  found  there,  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans, Carthagenians,  Vandals,  and  Ootha  ;  who  were,  it  is  Mscrted 
by  John  Leo,  the  African,  who  wrote  a  descrijUion  of  Africa  in  Ara- 
bic, all  anciently  comprehended  under  the  general  name  of  Mauri 
or  Moortf  as  well  as  the  black  Moors  themselves.  (Morse'a  Uni- 
vcnal  Geo.  vol.  ii.  pp.  754>  781.)    ;m  '^wiw  ,«•*»*  ?«'  •wp'    »  •^'* 

Shemi  according  to  the  comniouly  received  opinion,  vras  the  eld- 
est son  of  Noah ;  and  as  the  complexion  of  this  child  did  not  differ 
from  that  of  other  children  born  before  the  flood,  all  of  whom  are 
Supposed  to  have  been  red,  or  of  the  copper  hue,  on  the  ground  of 
Adam's  complexion ;  Noah  did  not,  therefore,  name  the  child  at 
first  sight,  from  any  extraordinary  impulse,  arising  from  any  singn* 
lar  appearance  in  the  complex!  q,  but  rather,  as  it  was  his  first  born 
son,  he  called  him  Shem,  lUat  is  renown,  which  name  agrees,  in  a 
surprising  manner,  with  what  we  have  hereafter  to  relate,  respect- 
ing  this  character. 

The  impulse  in  the  mind  of  Noah  which  moved  him  to  call  thi» 
fir$t  son  of  his  Sheiiij  or  rcnownj  may  have  been  similar  to  that  of 
the  patriach,  Jacob,  respecting  his  first  bom  son.  He  says  Re^^^ 
&en,  thou  art  my  first  bom,  my  might,  ana  the  beginning  of  my 
strength,  the  excellency  of  dignity,  and  the  excellency  of  power. 
The  ideas  are  similar,  both  leading  to  the  same  consequence ;  in 
one  case,  it  is  retioumj  in  tb^'  other,  the  excellency  >  ^  >v7»  i,  which 
is  equivalent  to  renown,  all  of  which,  in  both  ru^f.),n.  v  om  the 
mere  circumstance  of  those  children  being  the  ju«i  oorn.     Jii'.«r<bD>: 

It  is  not  unusual  for  parents  to  feel  this  sensation,  on  the  birth  of 
a  first  child,  especially  if  it  be  a  son  ;  however  it  is  not  impossible 

't  tre  prophetic  spirit  moved  Noah  so  to  name  this  son  by  the  ex* 
^roioftr}  uppellatbn,  retuncny  or  Shem  ;  and  the  chief  trait  of  ce- 
to  attach  itself  to  the  character  of  Shem  was  to 


n,. 


»P%- 


iy  v  "nich  wati 


kftV    DIICOVBKIES   IN   TUK   nxiT. 


^ 


«rite  out  of  the  hot  of  his  being  the  type  of  the  Messiah  ;  and  the 
time  WM  to  come  when  this  person,  after  the  dood  should  have 
paaaed  away,  would  be  the  fly  antediluvian  survivor  ;  on  which 
«ccount,  all  mankind  must,  of  necessity,  by  natural  and  mutual 
-consent,  look  up  to  this  ma^   with  extruoalinary  veneration.  4 

>  By  examining  the  chronological  account  of  the  Jewish  records, 
we  find  the  man  Shem  lived  fiv«  hur  Ired  years  after  the  flood,  and 
<hat  he  over  lived  Abraham  about  forty  years.  So  that  he  was  not 
only  the  oldest  man  en  the  earth  at  that  time,  but  alio  the  only  sur- 
V  ving  antediluvian,  as  well  as  tl^e  great  typical  progenitor  of  die 

So  'Vable  Messiah.  '>tKU«i»in'r<i  ««'>',!;    0  nh   ■.  t-:kfftf^  iiiA^^il  '^»ltk'' 

Here  was  a  foundation  fur  renoumj  of  sufficient  solidity  to  justify 
4he  prophetic  spirit  in  mooring  Noah  to  call  him  i$/i«ni,  a  name  full 
of  import,  full  of  meaning,  pointing  its  signification  in  a  blaze  of 
Ught,  to  Him  whose  birth  and  works  of  righteousness,  were  to  be 
of  consequences  the  highest  in  degree,  to  the  whole  race  of  Adam, 
in  the  atonement.  :...t^i.j..^i. 

.-  But  at  the  birth  of  Ham,  it  was  different ;  when  this  chiid  was 
borp,  we  may  suppose  the  house  or  tent  to  have  been  in  an  uproar, 
on  the  account  of  his  strange  complexion  ;  the  news  of  which,  we 
nay  suppose,  soon  reached  the  ear  of  the  father,  who  on  behoh  ing 
it,  at  once,  in  the  form  of  exclamation,  ciied  out.  Ham  !  that  is,  it  is 
Macki  and  this  word  became  his  name. 

It  IS  believed  that  in  the  first  ages  of  the'  world,  things  were 
named  from  their  supposed  qualities  ;  and  their  supposed  qualities 
•rose  from  first  appearances.  In  this  way,  it  is  imagined,  Adan: 
oamed  all  the  animals  at  first  sight  ;  as  the  Lord  God  caused  them 
40  pass  before  him,  a  sudden  impulse  arising  in  his  mind,  from  the 
appearance  of  each  creature ;  so  that  a  suitable  name  was  given. 
<:<  This  was  natural ;  but  not  more  so  than  it  was  for  Noah  to  call  bis 
aecond  son  Ham,  because  he  was  black  ;  being  struck  by  this  un- 
common, unheard  of,  complexion  of  his  own  child,  which  impelled 
him  at  once  to  name  him  as  he  looked. 

We  suppose  the  same  influence  governed  at  the  birth  of  Japheth; 
and  that  at  the  birth  of  this  child,  greater  surprise  still  must  have 
pervaded  the  household  of  Noah,  as  white  was  a  cast  of  complexion 
still  more  wonderful  than  either  red  or  blacky  as  these  two  last  nam> 
ed  complexions  bear  a  stronger  afiinity  Jto  each  other,  than  to  that 


<jf  white. 


rf**> 


"^'^i^Jt^K^'  i^-f^  ^^' '^-'dvii*    ^'  ■"?^T-^^»-*;^-*'  -'■-^  *Jffej 


20 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Vc  No  looner,  therefore,  as  we  may  suppose,  was  the  news  of  the 
birth  of  this  third  son  carried  to  Noah,  than,  being  anxious  to  em- 
brace him,  saw  with  amazement,  that  it  was  diverse  from  the  other 
two,  and  from  all  mankind ;  having  not  the  least  affinity  of  complex- 
ion with  any  of  the  human  race  ;  and  being  in  an  ecstacy,  at  the 
sight  of  so  fair  and  ruddy  an  infant,  beautifully  white  and  transpa- 
rent of  complexion,  cried  out,  while  under  the  influence  of  his  joy 
and  surprise,  Japheth  !  which  word  became  his  name  ;  to  this, 
however,  he  added  afterwards,  God  shall  greatly  enlarge  Japheth, 
and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem  and  Canaan,  that  is  Ham 
■hall  be  his  servant ;  so  that,  in  a  political  sense  he  was  higher  than 
the  other  two. 

But  if  our  opinion  on  this  subject  is  esteemed  not  well  support- 
ed, wc  would  add  one  other  circumstance,  which  would  seem  to 
amount  to  demonstration,  in  proving  Ham  and  his  posterity  to  have 
been  black  at  the  outset. 

The  circumstance  is  as  follows :  At  two  particular  times,  it  ap> 
pears  from  Genesis,  that  Noah  declared  Ham  with  his  posterity 
should  serve  or  become  servants  to  both  the  posterity  of  Shem  and 
Japheth.  If  one  were  to  inquire  whether  this  has  been  fulfilled 
or  not,  what  would  be  the  universal  answer  ?  It  would  be — it  has 
been  fulfilled.  But  in  what  way  ?  Who  are  the  people  ?  Tha  uni- 
versal answer  is.  The  African  race  are  the  people.  But  how  is  this 
proved,  unless  we  allow  them  to  be  the  descendants  of  Ham. 

If,  then,  they  are  his  descendants,  they  have  been  such  in  every 
age,  from  the  very  beginning  ;  and  the  same  criterion,  which  is 
their  colour,  has  distinguished  them.  Tiiis  proves  their  progenitor. 
Ham,  to  have  been  black ;  or  otherwise  it  had  been  impossible  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  posterity  of  the  other  two,  Shem  and 
Japheth,  and  whether  the  denunciation  of  Noah  has  been  fulfilled 
or  not,  would  be  unknown.  But  as  it  is  known,  the  subject  is 
clear  ;  the  distinguishing  trait  by  which  Ham's  posterity  were 
known  at  first,  must  of  necessity  have  been,  as  it  is.  new,  black.  » 

We  have  dwelt  thus  far  upon  the  subject  of  human  complexions, 
because  there  are  those  who  imagine  the  variety  now  found  among 
men,  to  have  originated  purely  from  climate,  food,  and  manner  of 
living  ;  while  others  suppose  a  plurality  of  fathers  to  have  been  tlie 
cause,  in  contradiction  of  the  account  in  Genesis,  where  one  man  is 
•aid  to  have  been  the  father  of  all  mankind.     But  on  this  curious 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST- 


21 


subject,  respecting  the  variety  of  complexions,  see,  toward  the 
close  of  this  volume,  the  remarks  of  Professor  Mitchell,  late  of 
New-York.  -   . 


RESPECTING  A  DIVISION   OF  THE  EARTH  BY  NOAH  AMONG 

HIS  SONS. 


it  ap- 


It  cannot  be  denied  but  the  whole  earth,  at  the  time  the  ark 
rested  on  mount  Ararat,  belonged  to  Noah,  he  being  the  prince, 
patriarch,  or  head  and  ruler  of  his  own  family  ;  consequently  of  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  as  there  were  none  but  his  own  house. 
This  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  any  other  man  since  the  world  be- 
gan, except  of  the  man  Adam.  Accordingly,  in  the  true  character 
of  a  Patriarchal  Prince,  as  related  by  Eusebius,  an  ecclesiastical 
writer  of  the  fourth  century,  and  by  others,  that  Noah,  being  com- 
manded of  God,  proceeded  to  make  his  td//,  dividing  the  vihole 
earth  between  his  tl^ree  sons,  and  their  respective  heirs  or  descend- 
ants, i 

To  Shem  he  gave  all  the  East ;  to  Ham,  all  Africa  ;  to  Japhcth, 
the  continent  of  Europe^  with  its  laksy  and  the  northern  parts  of 
Asittj  as  before  pointed  out.  And  may  we  not  add  America,  which, 
in  the  course  of  Divine  Providence,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
posterity  of  Japlieth,  and  it  is  not  impossible  but  this  quarter  of  the 
earth  may  have  been  known  even  to  Noah,  as  we  are  led  to  sus- 
pect from  the  sta|^ment  of  Eusebius. 

This  idea,  or  information,  is  brought  forward  by  Adam  Clarke, 

from  whose  commentary  on  the  Scriptures,  we  have  derived  it 

That  a  knowledge  of  not  only  Africa,  Asia,  and  Europe,  was  in  the 
possession  of  Noah,  but  even  the  islands  of  Europe,  is  probable,  or 
how  could  he  have  given  them  to  the  posterity  of  his  son  Japhethf 
as  written  by  Eusebius.  ■  •  '■ 

It  may  be  questioned,  possibly,  vvhcther  these  countries,  at  so 
early  a  period,  had  yet  been  explored,  so  as  to  furnish  Noah  with 
any  degree  of  knowledge  respecting  them.  To  this  it  may  be  re- 
plied, that  he  lived  three  hundred  and  fiftu  veart  after  the  flood,  and 
more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  after  the  building  of  the  tower  of 


\\ 


m 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


Babel  and  the  dispersion  of  the  first  inhabitants,  by  means  of  the 
confusion  of  t^e  ancient  language. 

This  was  a  lapse  of  time  quite  sufficient  to  have  enabled  explor- 
ers to  have  traversed  them,  or  even  the  whole  earth,  if  companies 
had  been  sent  out  in  different  directions,  for  that  express  purpose, 
and  to  return  again  with  their  accounts  to  Noah.  If  the  supposition 
of  Adam  Clarke,  and  others,  be  correct ;  which  is,  that  at  that  time, 
the  tohole  land  of  the  globe  was  so  situated  as  that  no  continent  was 
quite  separate  from  the  others  by  water,  as  they  are  now  ;  so  that 
men  could  traverse  by  land  the  whole  globe  at  their  will  :  If  so, 
even  America  may  have  been  known  to  the  first  nations,  as  well  as 
other  parts  of  the  earth.  s 

This  doctrine  of  the  union  of  continents,  is  favored,  or  rather 
founded  on  a  passage  in  the  fiook  of  Genesis,  10th  chap.  20th  ver, 
where  it  is  stated  that  one  of  the  sons  of  Eber  was  Peleo,  so  nam- 
ed, because  in  his  days.,  the  earth  was  divided  ;  the  word  Peltg^ 
probably  signifying  division,  in  the  Noetic  language. 

The  birth  of  Peleg  was  about  an  hundred  years  after  the  flood, 
the  very  time  when  Babel  was  being  builded.  But  we  do  not  im- 
agine this  great  cotivulsionary  division  of  the  several  quaiters  of  the 
globe,  took  place  till  perhaps  an  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of 
Peleg,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  latitude  of  the  expression, "  in  the 
days  of  Peleg."  Or,  it  may  have  been  even  two  hundred  years 
after  the  birth  of  Peleg,  as  this  person's  whole  life  was  but  two 
hundred  and  thirty-nine  years,  so  that  Noah  overlived  him  eleven 
years.     .>■...■-  ^         .  .  ^    ■  -•■.■. 

"  In  the  days  of  Peleg,"  therefore,  may  as  w^ell  be  argued  to 
mean  near  the  close  of  his  life,  as  at  any  other  ^I'lpd  ;  this  would 
give  time  for  a  very  considerable  knowledge  of  the  earth's  coun- 
tries to  have  been  obtained  ;  so  that  Noah  could  have  made  a 
judicious  division  of  it  among  the  postetity  of  his  sons. 

This  grand  division  of  the  earth,  is  supposed,  by  some,  to  have 
been  only  a  political  division  ;  but  by  others,  a  physical  or  geogra- 
phical one.  This  latter  opinion  is  favored  by  Adam  Clarke.  See 
his  comment  on  the  25th  verse  of  the  10th  chapter  of  Genesis,  as 
follows  :  "  A  separation  of  Continents  and  islands  from  the  main 
land,  the  earthy  parts  having  been  united  in  one  great  continent, 
previous  to  the  days  of  Peleg."  But  at  this  era,  when  men  and 
«n!mg1n  had  fousd  their  way  to  the  several  quarters  of  the  earth,  it 


AND   DitCOVERIES   IM   THfi   TVEST.  ft 

Mcmed  good  to  the  Creator  to  break  doton  those  unitiog  portions  of 
land,  by  bringing  into  action  the  %Tinds,  the  billows,  and  subterra- 
ranean  fires,  which  soon,  by  their  repeated  and  united  forces,  re- 
moved each  isthmus,  throwing  them  along  the  coasts  of  the  several 
continents,  and  forming  them  into  islands ;  thus  destroying,  for  wise 
purposes,  those  primeval  highways  of  the  nations. 


■  ("■• 


as 


SUPPOSED  IDENTITY  AND  REAL  NAME  OF  MELGHISEDEC  OF 

THE  SCRIPTURES. 

This  is  indeed  an  interesting  problem,  the  solution  of  which  has 
perplexed  its  thousands  ;  most  of  whom  suppose  him  to  have  been 
the  Son  of  God,  some  angelic,  or  mysterious  supernatural  person- 
age, rather  than  a  mere  man.  This  general  opinion  proceeds  on 
the  ground  of  the  Scripture  account  of  him,  as  commonly  under- 
stood,  being  expressed  as  follows  :  "  Without  father,  without  mo- 
ther, without  descent,  having  neither  beginning  of  days,  nur  end  of 
life,  but  made  like  unto  the  Son  of  God,  abideth  a  priest  continu- 
ally."   Hebrews  vii.  3.  .     'il 

But,  without  further  circumlocution,  we  will  at  once  disclose  our 
opinion,  by  stating  that  we  believe  him  to  have  been  Shem,  the 
eldest  son  of  Noah,  the  immediate  progenitor  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
Jacob,  and  the  .Tews,  and  none  other  than  Shem,  "  the  man  of 
name,  or  renown." 

We  derive  this  conclusion  from  the  research  and  critical  com- 
mentary of  the  learned  and  pious  Adam  Clarke,  who  gives  us  this 
information  from  the  tradition  of  the  Jewish  Rabbins,  which,  with- 
out hesitation,  gives  this  honor  to  Shem. 

The  particular  part  of  that  Commentary  to  which  we  allude  as 
being  the  origin  of  our  belief,  on  this  subject,  is  the  preface  of  that 
author  to  the  Book  of  Job,  on  page  716,  as  follows:  "  Shem  lived 
five  hundred  and  two  years  after  the  deluge  ;  being  still  alive,  and 
in  the  three  hundred  and  ninety-third  year  of  his  life,  when  Abra- 
ham was  born  ;  there/ore,  the  Jewish  tradition  that  Shem  wo*  the 
Melchisedec,  or  my  righteous  king  of  Salem,"  which  word  Mel- 
chisedec,  was  "  an  epithet,  of  title  of  honor  and  respect,  not  a  po- 


mmtmmlm 


t 

f . 


H  ^    AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES      -.Va 

per  name,  and  therefore,  as  the  head  and  father  of  his  race,  Abr»> 
ham  paid  tithes  to  him.  This  seems  to  be  toell  founded,  and  the 
idea  is  confirmed  by  these  remarkable  words,  Psalms,  110,  Jehovah 
hath  sworn  and  will  not  repent,  or  change,  tU  tah  cohenleolam  al  di- 
barte  Malkitsedek.  As  if  he  had  said.  Thou  my  only  begotten  Son, 
first  bom  of*  many  brethren,  UQt  according  to  the  aubatUtUed  priest- 
hood of  the  sons  of  Levi,  who,  after  the  sin  of  the  golden  calf,  stood 
up  in  lieu  of  all  the  first  bom  of  Israel,  invested  with  their  forfeit- 
ed rights  of  primogeniture  of  king  and  priest :  the  Lord  hath  sworn 
and  will  not  repent,  (change.)  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever,  after  the 
(my  order  of  Melchisedec,  my  own  original  primitive)  order  of  pri- 
mogeniture :  even  as  Shtm^  the  man  of  namey  the  Shem  that  stands 
the  first  and  foremost  of  the  sons  of  Noah.  The  righteous  Prince, 
and  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God  meets  his  descendant,  Abraham, 
after  the  slaughter  of  the  kings,  with  refreshments  ;  and  blessed 
him,  as  the  head  and .  father  of  his  race  ;  the  Jews  in  particular, 
and,  as  such,  he  received  from  Abraham,  the  tithe  of  all  the  spoil. 

How  beutifully  does  Paul  of  Tarsus,  writing  to  the  Hebrews, 
point,  through  Melchisedec,  or  (Shem,  the  head  and  father  of  their 
race,)  invested  in  all  the  original  rights  of  primogeniture.  Priest  of 
the  most  High  God,  blessing  Abraham  as  such,  before  Levi  had 
existence,  and  as  such  receiving  tithes  from  Abraham,  and  in  him 
from  Levi,  yet  in  the  loins  of  his  forefathers  :  Moses,  on  this  great 
and  solemn  occasion,  records  simply  this : — ^Melchisedec,  king  of 
Salem,  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  sine  genealogia  ;  his  pedi- 
gree not  mentioned,  but  standing  as  Adam  in  St.  Luke's  genealogy 
without  father,  and  without  mother,  Adam  of  God.    Luke  iii.  38. 
How  beautifully,  I  say,  doth  St.  Paul  point,  through  Melchisedec, 
to  Jehoshua,  our  Great  High  Priest  and  King,  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
eternal  generation   who  shall  declare  !  Ha  Mashiach,  the  Lord's 
Anointed  High  Priest,  and  King,  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec  ; 
only  begotten,  first  bom  son." 
^  '  Thus  far  for  the  preface  on  the  subject  of  Melchisedec,  showing 
that  he  was  none  other  than  Sfiem,  the  son  of  Noah.     We  shall 
now  give  the  same  author's  views  of  the  same  supposed  mysterious 
character,  Melchisedec,  as  found  in  his  notes  on  the  7th  of  He- 
brews, commencing  at  the  third  verse. 

Without  father,  without  mother,  without  descent,  having 
neither  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life.    "  The  object  of  the 


■I 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


25 


A 


Apostle,  in  thus  producing  the  example  of  Melchisedec,  was  to 
show — 1st.  That  Jesus  was  the  person  prophesied  of  ill  the  110th 
Psalm  ;  which  Psalm  the  Jews  uniformly  understood  as  predicting 
the  Messiah.  2d.  To  answer  the  objections  of  the  Jews  against 
the  legitimacy  of  the  priesthood  of  Christ,  arising  from  the  stock 
from  which  He  proceeded.  The  objection  is  this  :  if  the  Messiah 
is  a  true  Priest,  he  imtst  come  from  a  legitimate  stock,  as  all  the 
Priests  under  the  law  have  regularly  done  ;  otherwise  we  cannot 
acknowledge  him  to  be  a  Priest.  ^f-  -^  ■ 

But  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  not  proceeded  from  such  a  stock  ; 
therefore,  we  cannot  acknowledge  him  for  a  Priest,  the  Antitype 
of  Aaron.  To  this  objection  the  Apostle  answers,  that  it  was  not 
necessary  for  the  Priest  to  come  from  a  particular  stock  ;  for  Mel- 
chisedec was  a  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  aud  yet  was  not  of  the 
stock  either  of  Abraham  (for  Melchisedec  was  before  Abraham,)  or 
Aaron,  but  was  a  Canaanite.  ,     '     •     ' ', 

It  is  well  known  that  the  ancient  Jews,  or  Hebrews,  were  Ex- 
ceedingly scrupulous  in  choosing  their  High  Priest  ;  partly  by  di- 
vine command,  and  partly  from  the  tradition  of  their  ancestors,  who 
always  considered  this  office  to  be  of  the  highest  dignity.  1st.  God 
had  commanded.  Lev.  xxi.  10.  that  the  Hight  Priest  should  be 
chosen  from  among  their  brethren  ;  that  is,  from  the  family  of  Aa- 
ron. 2d.  That  he  should  marry  a  virgin.  3d.  He  must  not  mar- 
ry a  widow.  4th.  Nor  a  divorced  person.  5th.  Nor  a  harlot< 
6tn.  Nor  one  of  another  nation.  He  who  was  found  to  have  acted 
contrary  to  these  requisitions,  was,  jure  ditino,  excluded  from  the 
pontificate,  or  eligibility  to  hold  that  office.  •;    ?  ■'J'lTStT 

On  the  contrary,  it  was  necessary  that  he  who  desired  this  honor, 
should  be  able  to  prove  his  descent  from  the  family  of  Aaron :  and 
if  he  could  not,  though  even  in  the  Priesthood,  he  was  cast  out ;  as 
we  find  from  Ezra,  ii.  62,  and  Nehem.  vii.  G3.  To  these  divine 
ordinances,  the  Jews  have  added,  1st.  That  no  proselyte  coald  be  a 
Priest :  2d.  Nor  a  slave:  3d.  Nor  a  bastard  :  4th.  Nor  the  son  of  a 
Nethinnim  ;  these  were  a  class  of  men  Avho  were  servants  to  the 
Priests  and  Levites,  (not  of  their  tribe,)  to  draw  water,  and  to  hew 
wood.    5th.  Nor  one  whose  father  exercised  any  base  trade. 

Ami  that  they  might  be  well  assured  of  all  this,  they  took  the  ut- 
most care  to  preserve  their  genealogies,  which  were  regularly  kept 
ja  the  urchieves  of  the  temple.     When,  if  any  person  aspired  to  the 


■mWWWWpwwilll.      ,  II— li|HWpWO^<iW 


-Wm  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIE*  *i^  * 

Mcerdotal  function)  his  genealogical  table  was  carefully  mspectetf  ^ 
and  if  any  of  the  above  blemishes  was  found  in  him,  he  was  re^^ 


-*i~^'fy,  ja^r^    tr^f-r  *■    r-rjJt.T- 


-'r^nr  -f. 


jected."  •  "ji  V.!"' 

But  here  the  matter  comes  to  a  jtolnt,  as  it  fespeets  our  fttqnirjr 
raspecting  Melchisedec's  having  no  father  or  mother.  "  He  who- 
could  Mi  support  his  pretensions  by  just  genealogical  evidences,  was 
laid  to  be  without  father.  Thus  in  Bereshith  Rabba,  Sect,  xviii.  fol. 
18,  are  these  words,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and 
mother.  It  is  said,  if  a  proselyte  to  the  Jewish  religion  have  mar* 
ried  his  own  sister,  whether  by  the  same  father,  or  by  the  same 
mother,  they  cast  her  out,  according  to  Rabbi  Meir.  But  the  wise 
men  say,  if  she  be  of  the  sauie  mother,  they  cast  her  out ;  but  if  of 
the  same  father,  they  retain  her,  shdn  ab  la  gaij  for  a  Gentile  ha» 
no  father,  that  is,  his  father  is  not  reckoned  ii>  the  lewish  gene- 

In  this  way,  both  Christ  and  Melchisedec  were  without  father, 
and  without  mother,  had  neither  beginning  of  days,  descent  of  line- 
age, nor  end  of  life,  in  their  books  of  genealogies,  which  gave  s 
man  a  right  to  the  Priesthood,  as  derived  from  A  aron  ;  that  is,  were 
not  descended  from  the  original  Jewish  sacerdotal  stock.  Yet  Mel- 
chisedec, who  was  a  Canaanite,  was  a  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God. 
This  sense  Suidas*  confirms,  under  the  word  Melchisedec,  where 
after  stating  that  he  reigned  a  prince  in  Salem,  i.  e.  Jerusalem,  113 
years,  he  died  a  righteous  :'?:i.  To  this  he  adds,  "  He  is,  there- 
fore, said  to  be  without  descent  or  genealogy,  because  he  was  not 
of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  (for  Abraham  was  his  seed,)  but  of  Ca- 
naanitish  origin."  c  3-'-'t  '!  :r-ii^\'  vH^i'hr':-  V  ,  >iAv«i4*iA^ 

We  think  this  sufficient  to  show  the  reason  why  he  is  said  to 
have  had  no  father  or  motlier,  beginning  of  days,  nor  end  of  life^ 
as  stated  in  Hebrews.  But  this  is  not  said  of  him  in  the  Book  of 
Genesis,  where  we  first  become  acquainted  with  this  truly  won- 
derful character. 

It  should  be  recollected  that  the  Jewish  genealogies  went  no  far- 
ther back,  for  the  qualifications  of  their  priestly  credentials,  or  eli- 
gibility to  the  pontifical  office,  than  to  the  time  and  family  of  Aaron  ; 
which  was  more  than  four  hundred  years  after  that  of  Abraham  and 
Melchisedec.    No  wonder,  then,  that  Christ's  genealogy  was  not 

*  Suidas,  a  Greek  scholar  of  eminence,  who  flourished  A-  D.  975,  and  wat 
an  ecclesiastical  writer  of  that  age. 


I 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


87 


found  in  their  records,  so  as  to  give  him  a  claim  to  that  office,  audi       > 
as  they  might  approve. 

But  inasmuch  as  Melchisedec  was  greater  than  Ahraliam,  from 
whom  the  Jewish  race  immediately  originated,  he  argues  from  the 
authority  of  the  110th  Psalm,  where  Melchisedec  is  spokeo  of, 
which  the  Jews  allowed  to  be  spoken  of  Christ,  or  the  Messiah 
who  was  to  come,  and  was,  therefore,  a  Priest  after  the  order  of 
that  extraordinary  Prince  of  Peace,  and  King  of  Salem  ;  hecause, 
neither  had  he  such  a  claim  on  the  Jewish  genealogies,  as  required 
by  the  Jews,  so  as  to  make  him  eligible  to  their  priesthood,  for  they  . 
knew,  or  might  have  known,  that  Christ  did  not  come  of  the  Aa- 
ronic  race,  but  of  the  line  or  tribe  of  Judah.   ,'     .  *)  .v«r<;  ^mji^* 

That  he  was  a  man,  a  mere  man,  born  of  a  woman,  and  came 
into  the  world  after  the  ordinary  manner,  is  attested  by  Saint 
Paul's  own  extraordinary  expression.  See  Hebrews,  vii.  4, — 
**  Now  consider  how  great  this  man  was,  unto  whom  Abraham  gave 
the  tenth  of  the  spoils."  However  wonderfully  elevated  among 
men,  and  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  however  powerful  and  rich,  wise, 
holy,  and  happy  ;  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  mere  man^  or  the  tenth 
of  the  spoils  he  would  not  have  received. 

But  the  question  is,  what  man  was  he,  and  what  was  his  name  ? 
'"'Now  consider  how  great  this  man  was,"  are  words  which  may 
possibly  lead  us  to  the  same  conclusion,  which  we  have  quoted  from 
the  preface  of  the  Book  of  Job.    .,    ,  .  i  »<  , ,.  o,  .4  ->iif°. 

There  are  not  wanting  circumstances  to  elevate  this  man,  on  the 
supposition  that  he  was  Shem,  in  the  scale  of  society,  far  above  a 
common  level  with  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  his  country,  of  suf- 
.ficient  importance  to  justify  St.  Paul  in  saying,  "  now  consider  how 
great  this  man  was."  ,.    '  -  ••    .*  urt*.!***.^, 

We  shall  recount  some  of  the  circumstances  :  and  first,  at  the 
time  he  met  Abraham,  when  he  was  returning  from  the  slaughter 
of  the  kings  who  had  carried  away  Lot,  the  half  brother  of  Abra- 
ham, with  all  his  goods,  his  wife  and  children,  and  lles$ed\Am  ;  he 
was  the  oldest  man  then  ont  he  earth.  This  circumstance  alone  wta 
of  no  small  amount,  and  highly  calculated  to  elevate  Shem  in  the 
eyes  of  mankind  ;  for  he  was  then  more  than  five  hundred  and  fif« 
ty  years  old.  .-..". 

Second  :  He  was  then  the  only  man  on  the  earth  who  had  lived 
;before4he  flood  ;  and  had  been  conversant  with  the  nations,  the  in* 


¥^ 


* 


"W  AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES  ./  .  -    - 

stitutions,  the  state  of  agriculture  and  the  arts,  as  understood  and 
practised  by  the  antediluvians. 

Third :  He  was  the  only  man  who  could  tell  them  about  the  lo- 
cation of  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  a  question,  no  doubt,  of  great  curi- 
osity and  moment  to  those  early  nations,  so  iiear  the  flood  ;  the 
manner  in  which  the  fall  of  Adam  and  Eve  took  place.  He  could 
tell  them  what  sort  of  fruit  it  was,  and  how  the  tree  looked  on 
which  it  grew  ;  and  from  Shem,  it  is  more  than  probable,  the  Jews 
received  tL  idea  that  the  forbidden  fruit  was  that  of  the  tjrnpe  tnnc, 
as  found  in  their  traditions. 

Shem  could  tell  them  what  sort  of  serpent  it  was,  whether  an 
Ourang  Outang,  as  believed  by  some,  that  the  evil  spirit  made  use 
of  deceive  the  woman ;  he  could  tell  them  about  the  former  beauty 
of  the  earth,  before  it  had  become  ruined  by  the  commotion  of  the 
waters  of  the  flood  ;  the  form  and  situation  of  countries,  and  of  the 
extent  and  amount  of  human  population.  He  could  tell  them  how 
the  nations  who  filled  the  earth  with  their  violence  and  rapine, 
used  to  go  about  the  situation  of  the  happy  garden  to  which  no  man 
was  allowed  to  approach  nor  enter,  on  account  of  the  dreadful  Che- 
rtibim,  and  the  flaming  .sword  ;  and  how  they  blasphemed  against 
the  judgments  of  the  Most  High  on  that  account. 

Fourth :  Shem  could  inform  thtm  about  the  progress  of  the  ark, 
where  it  was  built,  and  what  opposition  and  ridicule  his  father, 
Noah,  met  with  while  it  'vas  being  builded  ;  he  could  tell  respect- 
ing the  violent  manners  of  the  antediluvians,  and  what  their  pecu- 
liar aggravated  sins  chiefly  consisted  in — what  God  meant  when 
he  sjvid  that  "  all  jlesh  had  corrupted  its  way  before  Him,"  except 
the  single  family  of  Noah.  Ther-i  are  those  who  imagine,  from 
that  peculi'tr  phraseology,  "  all  flesh  hath  corrupted  its  way  on  the 
earth,"  thpt  the  human /ann  had  become  mingled  with  that  of  ani- 
mals. If  so,  it  was  high  time  they  were  drowned,  both  man  and 
beast,  for  reasons  too  obvious  tu  need  illustration  here  ;  it  was  high 
time  that  the  soil  was  purged  by  water,  and  torn  to  fragments  and 
buried  beneath  the  earthy  matter  thrown  up  from  depths  not  so 
polluted. 

It  is  not  at  all  improbable  but  from  this  strange  and  most  hor- 
rible practice,  ihe  fire:  ideas  of  the  ancient  statuaries  was  derived  ; 
of  delineating  sculpture  which  represents  monsters,  half  human  and 
half  animal.     This  kind  of  sculpture,  and  also  paintings  abounded, 


,'fif^  • 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN    THE    WEST. 


20 


anM>ng  the  Egyptians,  the  Greeks,  and  the  Romans,  as  well  at 
ot)ier  nations  of  the  early  ages    Of  these  shapes  were  many  of  th^*r 
gods  ;  being  half  lion,  half  eagle,  and  half  fish  ;  according  to  '<.. 
denomination  of  paganism  who  udored  these  images. 

Fifth  :  Shem  was  the  only  man  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  who 
could  tell  them  of  the  promised  Messiah,  of  whom  he  was  the  most 
glorious  and  expressive  type,  afforded  to  men,  before  his  coming,  as 
attested  by  St.  Paul.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  with  this  man, 
Abraham  had  enjoyed  long  and  close  acquaintance,  for  he  was  de- 
scended of  his  loins,  from  whom  he  learned  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  God,  in  all  probability,  iu  the  midst  of  his  Chaldean,  idolatrous 
nation,  and  became  a  convert  to  the  faith  of  Melchisedec  From 
the  familiar  manner  with  which  Melchisedec,  or  Shem,  who,  v?- 
are  compelled  to  believe,  was  indeed  Melchisedec,  met  Abraham, 
and  bleiised  him,  in  reference  to  the  great  Messiah  ;  we  are  strong- 
ly inclined  to  believe  them  old  acquaintance. 

Sixth  :  It  appears  that  Shem,  or  Melchisedec,  had  gotten  great 
possessions,  and  influence  among  men,  as  he  had  become  king  of 
Salem,  or  ancient  Jebus,  where  Jerusalem  was  afterward  built,  and 
where  mount  Zion  geared  her  alabaster  towers,  and  was  the  only 
temple  in  which  the  true  God  was  understandingly  worshipped, 
then  on  the  earth.  It  is  not  impossible  but  the  mountainous  re- 
aion  about  Mount  Horeb,  and  the  mountains  round  about  Jerusa- 
lem, were,  before  the  flood,  the  base  or  foundation  of  the  country, 
and  exact  location  of  the  region  of  the  garden  called  Eden,  the  place 
where  Adam  was  created.  But  when  the  waters  of  the  deluge 
came,  they  tore  away  all  the  earthy  matter,  and  left  standing  those 
tremendous  pinnacles,  and  overhanging  mountains,  of  the  region  of 
Jerusalem,  and  mount  Horeb. 

By  examining  the  map  on  an  artificial  globe,  it  will  be  seen,  the 
region  of  country  situated  between  the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea,  the  Black  and  Caspian  Seas,  and  the  Persian  Gulf ; 
there  are  many  rivers  running  into  these  several  waters,  all  heading 
toward  each  other  ;  among  which  is  the  Euphrates,  one  of  the  riv- 
ers mentioned  by  Moses,  as  deriving  its  origin  in  the  garden,  or 
country  of  Eden.  Mountainous  countries  are  the  natural  sources 
of  rivers.  From  which  we  argue  that  Eden  must  have  been  a  high 
region  of  country,  as  intimated  in  Genesis,  entirely  inaccessible  on 
all  sides,  but  the  east ;  at  which  point  the  sword  of  the  Cherubim 


■uV 


I 


Ma* 


,y         AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


*:» 


•1. 


WM  placed  to  guvrd  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.  Some  have  ima- 
gined  the  Pernan  Gulf  to  be  the  spot  where  the  garden  was  situa- 
ted. But  this  is  impossible,  as  that  the  river  Euphrates  runs  into 
that  gulf,  from  toward  Jerusalem,  or  from  north  of  Jerusalem.  And 
as  the  region  of  Eden  was  the  source  of /our  large  rivers ;  running 
in  different  directions ;  so  also,  now  the  region  round  about  the 
present  head  waters  of  the  Euphrates,  is  the  source  of  many  rivers, 
w  said  above  ;  on  which  account,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  but 
khre  the  Paradise  of  Adam  was  situated,  before  the  deluge.  If  the 
Euphrates  is  one  of  the  rivers  having  its  source  in  the  garden  or 
country  of  Eden,  as  Moses  has  recorded,  it  is  then  proved,  to  a 
demonstration,  that  the  region  as  above  described,  is  the  ancient 
«ud  primeval  site  of  the  literal  Paradise  of  Adam.      ■    -n!  /t»^.Y  )^^ 

There  is  a  sort  of  fitness  in  the  ideas  we  are  about  to  advance, 
although  they  are  not  wholly  susceptible  of  proof,  nor  cf  very 
convincing  argument ;  yet,  there  is  no  impropriety  nor  incci^gruity, 
while  there  is  an  imperceptible  acquiescence  steals  over  the  mind, 
as  we  contemplate  the  subject. 

We  imagine  that  the  very  spot  where  Jesus  Christ  was  crucified, 
may  have  been  the  place  where  Adam  and  Eve  were  created.  At 
whatever  place  it  was,  it  is  certain  that  not  far  from  the  identical 
place,  he  fell,  by  means  of  the  devil,  or  rather  his  own  sin,  as  the 
time  from  his  creation  till  he  fell  was  very  s' lOil.  It  is  believed  that 
the  hill  of  crucifixion  was  also  the  hill  cabled  Mount  Mori  ah,  to 
which  God  sent  Abraham  to  slay  his  son  Isaac,  who  was  also  a 
type  of  the  Messiah.  Here  it  appears  Melchisedec  had  the  sect 
of  his  kingly  and  pontifical  government.  The  place  appears  to  be 
marked  with  more  than  ordinary  precision,  as  the  theatre  where 
God  chose  to  act,  or  cause  to  be  acted,  from  age  to  age,  the  things 
which  pointed  to  the  awful  catastrophe — the  decUh  of  his  Son. 

What  is  more  natural  than  to  suppose,  that  the  Redeemer  would 
>c1ioose  for  the  scene  of  his  victory  over  the  enemy  of  man,  the  very 
^pot  where  he  caused  his  fall.  Here,  toe,  it  is  believed,  Christ 
will,  at  his  second  coming,  appear,  when,  with  the  sotmd  of  the 
■first  trumpet,  the  righteous  dead  will  arise.  The  spot  has  been 
marked  as  the  scene  of  wonders,  above  all  ether  places  on  the  earth ; 
«nd  on  this  account,  is  it  not  allowable  to  imagine  that  here  all  na- 
lions  shall  be  gathered,  filling  the  whole  reg.on,  not  only  of  Jerusa- 
lem, but  also  the  whole  surrounding  heaven,  with  the  quickened 


rv^ 


AND    OlflCOVERIEd    IN   THE    WEST  Sf 

dead,  to  attend  th«  laat  judgment,  while  the  Son  of  God  shall  tit  on 
his  triumphant  throne  in  the  mid  air,  exactly  over  the  spot  where 
he  BuAered,  and,  probably,  where  man  fell 

Thus  far  ve  have  treated  on  the  subject  of  Melchisedec,  show- 
ing reasons  why  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  Shem,  the  son  of  No- 
ah, and  reasons  why  St.  Paul  should  say  "  Now  consider  how  great 
this  man  was."  We  will  only  add,  that  the  word  Melchisedec  is  not 
the  name  of  that  man  so  called,  but  is  only  a  ternij  or  appellation, 
used  in  relation  to  him,  by  Ood  himself,  which  is  the  same  as  to 
say,  my  righteous  king.  So  that  Melchisedec  was  not  the  name  he 
received  at  his  birth,  but  was  Shem,  as  the  Jews  inform  us  in  their 
traditions. 


•■  •»  V  \ 


DIVISION  OP'  THE  EARTH  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  PELEG,  AND  OF 
THE  SPREADING  OUT  OF  THE  NATIONS,  WITH  OTHER  CU- 
RIOUS MATTER.      ,*^-.;.'v:  ,     ,.     i;,,,,,.   },    .,,..,>,.. ^.^-^.VSI. 


But  to  return  to  the  subject,  respecting  the  division  of  the 
earth  in  the  days  of  Peleg.  If,  then,  t|ie  division  of  the  earth  was 
a  physical  one,  consequently  such  as  had  settled  on  its  several 
parts  before  this  division  became  for  ever  separated  towards  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe.  If  this  position  be  true,  the  mystery  is 
at  once  unriddled,  how  men  and  animals  are  found  on  all  the  earth, 
not  excepting  the  islands,  however  far  removed  from  other  lands 
by  intervening  seas. 

But  of  this  matt^  we  shall  speak  again  towards  the  close  of  this 
work,  when  we  hope  to  threw  some  degree  of  light  upon  this  ob«j 
scure,  yet  exceedingly  interesting,  subject.  . ,  ,      v.   rivit 

We  here  take  the  opportunily  to  inform  the  reader  that 
as  soon   as  we  have  givn  an   account  of  the  dispersion  of  the 

inhabitants  of  the  earth,  immediately  after  the  flood,  from  whom 
sprang  the  several  nations  mentioned  in  sacred  and  profane  ancient 
history,  we  shall  then  come  to  our  main  subject,  namely,  that  of  the 
Antiquities  of  America.  _    ,,..    »■ 

In  order  to  give  an  account  of  those  nations,  we  follow  the  Com- 
mentary of  Adam  Clarke,  on  the  10th  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Ge-, 
ncsis ;    which  is    the   only  book  to  which  we   can    resort    for 


mm 


32 


AMERICAN  ANTlQUlTlKt 


*    I 


iii. 


iofonnatioii  of  the  kind ;  all  other  works  which  touch  this  pointi 
ue  only  illustrative  and  corrobatory.  Even  the  boasted  antiquity 
of  the  Chinese,  going  back  millions  of  ages,  as  often  quoted  by  the 
sceptic,  is  found,  when  rightly  understood,  to  come  quite  within  the 
account  given  by  Moses  of  the  Creation. 

This  is  asserted  by  Baron  Hu/nboldt,  an  historian  of  the  first  or- 
der, whose  mind  was  embellifthed  with  a  universal  knowledge  of 
the  manners,  customs,  and  traits  of  science,  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  rarely  acquired  by  any  man. 

Their  account  of  thcit  first  knowledge  of  the  oldest  of  their  gods^ 
shows  their  antiquity  of  origin  to  be  no  higher  than  the  Creation,  as 
related  in  Genesis.  Their  Shasirus,  a  book  which  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  incarnation  of  the  god  Vts/tnoo,  states  that  his  first  in- 
carnation was  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  up  the  Vedus,  [sacred 
books,]  from  the  deep.  This  appcaranr  of  Vishnoo,  they  say, 
was  in  the  form  of  a  fish-  The  books,  the  fish,  and  the  deep,  are 
all  derived  from  Noah,  whose  account  of  the  Creation  has  furnish- 
ed the  ground  of  this  Chinese  tradition.  In  his  second  incarnation, 
he  took  the  newly  created  world  on  his  back,  as  he  had  assumed 
the  form  of  a  tortoise,  to  make  it  stable.  This  alludes  to  the  Mo- 
saic account,  which  says.  God  separted  the  water  from  the  dry 
land,  and  assigned  them  caek  their  place.  In  his  th<rd  incarnation, 
he  took  the  form  of  a  wild  boatj  and  drew  t!ie  earth  out  of  the  sea, 
into  which  it  had  sunk  during  a  periodical  destruction  of  the  world. 

This  is  a  tradition  ot  the  deluge,  and  of  the  subsiding  of  the  wa- 
tera,  when  the  tops  of  the  mountains  first  appeared.   -       ^  ^    -  v 

A  fourth  incarnation  of  this  god,  was  for  the  rescue  of  a  son, 
whose  father  was  about  to  slay  him.  What  else  is  this  but  the  ac- 
count of  Abraham's  going  to  slay  his  son  Isaac,  but  was  rescued 
by  the  appearance  of  an  angel,  forbidding  the  transaction.  la  a 
fifth  incarnation,  he  destroyed  a  giant,  who  despised  the  gods,  and 
committed  violence  in  the  earth.  This  giant  was  none  other  than 
Nimrod,  the  author  of  idolatry,  the  founder  of  Babel,  who  is  called 
even  by  the  Jews,  in  their  traditions,  a  giant.  '^ 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Tonga  Islands,  in  the  South  Pacific  oceikn, 
have  a  similar  opinion  respecting  the  first  appearance  of  land,  which 
evidently  points  to  the  flood  of  Noah. 

They  say,  that  at  a  certain  time,  the  god  Tangaloa,  who  was  re- 
puted to  preside  over  arts  and  inventions,  went  forth  to  fish  in  the 


AND   DIICOTKMBS   IN   TBI   WKIT. 


31 


"»» 


fjreat  oceto,  and  htving  (torn  the  tky  let  down  hit  hook  «nd  line 
into  the  sea,  on  u  nudden  he  felt  that  something  had  fastened  to  his 
hook,  and  believing  he  had  caught  an  immense  fish,  he  exerted  all 
his  strength,  und  presently  there  appeared  above  the  surface  seve- 
ral points  of  rocks  and  mountains,  which  increased  in  number  and 
extent,  the  m'^re  he  strained  at  his  line  to  pu!I  it  up. 

It  was  now  evident  that  his  hook  had  fastened  to  the  very  bot- 
tom of  the  ocean,  and  that  he  was  fast  submerging  a  vast  continent ; 
when  unfortunately  lie  line  broke,  having  brought  up  only  the 
Tonga  Islands,  which  remain  to  this  day. 

The  name  of  this  fishing  god,  was  Tangaloa^  which  we  imagine 
is  a  very  clear  allusion  to  the  summits  of  Ararat,  which  first  ap- 
peared above  the  waters  of  the  flood  in  Asia. 

"  Now  these  are  the  generations  of  the  sons  of  Noah, — Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japhcth  ;  and  unto  them  were  sons  born  after  the  flood.'* 
Genesis  x.,  1st  verse,  and  onward. 

The  sons  of  Japheth  :  "  Japheth  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  with 
Japetus  of  the  Greeks,  from  whom,  in  an  extreme  remote  antiquity, 
that  people  were  supposed  to  have  derived  their  origin.  On  this 
point  most  chronologists  are  pretty  well  agreed.  Gomer  is  sup- 
posed  to  have  peopled  Galatia  ;  this  was  a  son  of  Japheth.  So 
Josephus,  who  says  that  the  Galatians,  (or  French  people,  derived 
from  the  ancient  Belgiac  tribes,)  >vere  anciently  named  Gomerites. 
From  him  the  Cimmerians,  or  Cimbrians,  are  supposed  to  have  de- 
rived their  origin.  Bochart,  a  learned  French  protestant,  born  at 
Rouen,  in  Normandy,  in  the  16th  century,  has  no  doubt  that  the 
Phrygians  sprung  from  this  person  ;  and  some  of  our  principal  com- 
mentators are  of  this  opinion. 

Madai,  one  of  the  sons  of  Japheth,  is  supposed  to  be  the  progen- 
itor of  the  ancient  Medes.  Javan,  was  another  of  his  sons,  from 
whom,  it  is  almost  universally  believed,  sprung  the  lonians  of  Asia 
Minor.  Tudal,  is  supposed  to  be  the  father  of  the  Iberians,  and 
that  a  part,  at  least,  of  Spain  was  peopled  by  him,  and  his  descend- 
ants ,  and  that  Meschech,  who  is  generally  in  Scripture  joined 
with  him,  was  the  founder  of  the  Cappadocians,  from  whom  pro- 
ceeded the  Muscovites,  or  Russians. 

TiRAS  :  From  this  person;  according  to  general  consent,  the  Tbr»> 
dans  derived  their  origin  Ashkenaz  ;  from  this  person  was  de- 
rived the  name  Sacagena,  a  province  of  Armenia.  Plmyy  one  of  tlie 


#4 


♦ 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


most  learned  of  the  ancient  Romans,  who  lived  immediately  after 
the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era,  mentions  a  people  called 
Ascanticos,  who  dwelt  about  the  TanniSf  or  Palus-Mseoticus  ;  and 
some  suppose  that  from  Ashkenaz,  the  Euxine  or  Black  Sea,  de- 
rived its  name  ;  but  others  suppose  that  from  him  the  Germans  de- 
rived their  origin. 

RiPHATH  :  The  founder  of  the  Paphlagonians,  which  were  called 
anciently,  Riphatoel.  Togarma  ;  the  inhabitants  of  Samomatesj 
or  of  Turcomania.  !-     ' 

EusHAH  :  As  Javan,  peopled  a  considerable  part  of  Greece.  It 
is  in  that  region  we  must  look  for  the  settlements  of  his  descendants. 
Elishah  probably  was  the  first  who  settled  at  Elis,  in  Peloponnesus. 
Tarshis  :  He  first  inhabited  Ciliciaf  whose  capital,  anciently,  was 
the  city  of  Tarsus,  where  St.  Paul  was  born. 

KiTTiM :  Some  think  by  this  name  is  meant  Cyprus ;  others  the 
isle  of  Chios,  and  others  the  Romans,  and  others  the  Macedonians. 

DoDANiM,  or  Rodanim :  Some  suppose  that  this  family  settled  at 
Dodana ;  others,  at  the  Rhone,  in  France  ;  the  aitcierU  name  of 
which  was  Rhodanus,  from  the  Scripture  Rhodanim  :  "  By  these 
were  the  isles  of  the  gentiles  divided  in  their  lands."  Europe  ; 
of  which  this  is  allowed  to  be  a  general  epithet,  and  comprehends 
all  those  countries  to  which  the  Hebrews  were  obliged  to  go  by 
sea  ;  such  as  Spain,  Gaul  or  France,  Italy,  Greece,  and  Asia 
Minor. 

Thus  far  we  have  noticed  the  spreading  out  over  many  countries, 
and  the  origin  of  many  nations,  arising  out  or  from  Japheth,  one  of 
the  sous  of  Noah  ;  all  of  whom  are  white,  or  at  least  come  under 
tha*.  class  of  complexions. 

The  descendants  of  Ham,  another  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  and  some 
of  the  nations  springing  fiom  him,  we  shall  next  bring  to  view. — 
"  CusH,  who  peopled  the  Arabic  nome,  or  province,  near  the  Red 
Sea,  in  Lower  Egypt.  Some  think  the  Ethiopians  sprung  from 
him.  MizRAM  :  This  family  certaily  peopled  Egypt,  and  both  in 
the  east  and  the  west,  Egypt  is  called  Mizraim. 

Phut  :  Who  first  peopled  an  Egyptian  nome,  or  district,  bor- 
dering on  Lybia.  Canaan  ;  he  who  first  peopled  the  land  so  call- 
ed ;  known  also  by  the  name  of  the  Promised  Land.    These  were 


il.„      T 


■,Ar.A      A.^. 


CJ.< 


the  nations  wuicu  luc  ucw's,  wno  uescenuea  ircm  i^neniy  cast  out 
from  the  land  of  Canaan,  as  directed  by  God,  because  of  the  eaor- 


-^^- >-'■*---• 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


36 


;se  were 


mity  and  brutal  nature  of  their  crimes  ;  which  were  such  as  no 
man  of  the  present  age,  blessed  with  a  Christian  education,  would 
excuse  on  a  jury,  under  the  terrors  of  an  oath,  from  the  punishment 
of  death.  They  practised,  as  did  the  antediluvians  and  the  Sodom- 
ites, those  things  which  were  calculated  to  mingle  the  human  with 
the  brute.  Surely,  when  this  is  understood,  no  man,  not  even  a 
disbeliever  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  will  blame  Moses  for  his 
seeming  severity,  in  cutting  off  those  nations  with  the  besom  of  en- 
tire extermination.  ■  »     .•.;;••  -^   :' 

"  Seba,  the  founder  of  the  Sabeans  :  There  seeni  to  be  three 
different  people  of  this  name,  mentioned  in  this  10th  chapter  of 
Genesis,  and  a  fourth  in  chapter  25  of  the  same  book."  The 
queen  of  Sheba  was  of  this  race,  who  came,  as  it  is  said,  from  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  to  Jerusalem,  to  know  the  wisdom  of 
Solomon,  and  the  Hebrew  religion  ;  she  was,  therefore,  being  a 
descendant  of  Ham's  posterity,  a  black  woman.  '  '  ' ' 

Hatila,  Sabtah,  Ramah,  Sabtechah,  Sheba,  Dedan  ;  these  are 
names  belonging  to  the  race  of  Ham,  but  the  nations  to  whom  they 
gave  rise,  is  not  interesting  to  our  subject.  Nimrod,  however,* 
should  not  be  omitted,  who  was  of  the  race  of  Ham,  and  was  his 
grandson.  Of  whom  it  is  said,  that  he  was  a  mighty  hunter  before 
the  Lord  ;  meaning  not  only  his  skill  and  courage,  and  amazing 
strength  and  ferocity,  in  the  destruction  of  wild  animals,  which  in- 
fested the  vast  wilds  of  the  earth  at  that  time  ;  but  a  destroyer  of 
men's  lives,  and  the  originator  of  idolatry. 

It  was  this  Nimrod,  who  opposed  the  righteous  Melchisedec  ;  and 
taught,  or  rather  compelled,  men  to  forsake  the  religion  of  Shem,  or 
Melchisedec,  and  to  follow  the  institutes  of  Nimrod.  "  The  be- 
ginning of  his  kingdom  was  Bahcl,  Erech,  Acad,  and  Calneh,  in 
the  land  of  Shinar.  Gen.  x.  10.  The  tower  of  Babel,  and  city 
of  Babylon,  were  both  built  on  the  Euphrates.  Babel,  however, 
was  first  built  by  Nimrod's  agency,  whose  influence,  it  appears, 
arose  much  from  the  fierceness  of  his  disposition,  and  from  his  sta- 
ture and  great  muscular  powers  ;  qualifications,  which  ignorant  and 
savage  nations,  in  every  age,  have  been  found  apt  to  revere.  The 
Septuagiut  veraion  of  the  Scriptures,  speaks  of  Nimrod  as  being  a 
surly  giant ;  this  was  a  coloured  man,  and  the  first  monarch  of  the 
human  race  since  the  flood.  But  whether  monarchical  or  republi- 
can forms  of  government  obtained  before  the  flood,  is  uncertain. — 


St  AMERICAN   AlfTIQUITIEfl 

Probability  would  seem  to  favor  neither  ;  but  rather  that  the  Pa>  - 
triarchal  govemroeDt  should  then  have  ruled.     Every  father,  to  the 
fourth  aud  fifth  generation,  must  have  been,  in  those  days,  the  na- 
tural  king  or  chief  of  his  clan. 

These,  after  a  while,  spreading  abroad,  would  clash  with  each 
other's  interest,  whence  petty  wars  would  arise,  till  many  tribes 
being,  by  the  fortune  of  war,  weakened,  that  which  had  been  most 
fortunate,  would  at  once  seize  upon  a  wider  empire.  Hence  mo- 
narchies arose.  But  whether  it  so  fell  out  before  the  flood,  can%ot 
sow  be  ascertained.  A  state,  however,  of  fearful  anarchy  seems 
to  be  alluded  to  in  the  Scriptures  ;  where  it  is  said  that  the  earth 
was  "  filled  tcith  violence.''^  This  however  was  near  the  time  of 
the  flood. 

Popular  forms  of  government,  or  those  called  republican  or  de- 
mocratical,  had  their  origin  when  a  number  of  distant  tribes  or 
clans  invade  a  district  or  country  so  situated  as  that  the  interests  of 
different  tribes  were  naturally  somewhat  blended  ;  these  in  order 
to  repel  a  distant  or  strange  enemy's  encroachments,  would  natural- 
ly unite  under  their  respective  chiefs  or  patriarchs.  Experience 
would  soon  show  the  advantage  of  union.  Hence  arose  re- 
publics.. 

The  grand  confederacy  of  the  five  rations,  which  tcuk  pbco 
among  the  American  Indians,  before  their  acquaintance  with  the 
white  man,  shows  that  such  even  among  the  most  savage  of  our 
race,  may  have  often  thus  united  their  strength— out  of  which  ci- 
vilization has  sometimes,  as  well  as  monarchies  and  republics, 
arisen. 

Since  the  flood,  however,  it  is  found  that  the  descendants  of  Ja- 
pheth  originated  the  popular  forms  of  government  in  the  earth ;  as 
among  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and  more  perfectly  among  the  Amer- 
icans, who  are  the  descendants  of  Japheth. 

V/e  shall  omit  an  account  of  the  nations  arising  out  of  the  de- 
•cendents  of  Shbm,  (for  we  need  not  mention  the  Jews,  of  whom 
all  men  know  they  descended  from  him  ;)  for  the  same  reasons  as- 
n'gned  for  the  omission  of  a  part  of  the  posterity  of  Ham,  because 
they  chiefly  settled  in  those  regions  of  Asia  too  remote  to  answer 
our  subject  any  valuable  purpose. 

*'  In  confirmation,  however,  that  all  men  have  been  derived 
from  one  family,  let  it  be  observed  that  there   ut  many  uifager, 


kWi   DISC    VXRIXS  m   THE   WEST.  if 

both  lacred  and  civil,  which  have  prevailed  in  all  parts  of  the 
world ;  which  could  owe  their  origin  to  nothing  but  a  general 
institution,  which  could  not  have  existed,  had  not  mankind  been  of 
the  same  blood  originally,  and  instructed  in  the  same  common  no- 
tions, before  they  were  dispersed,"  from  the  mountains  of  Ararat, 
and  the  family  of  Noah.  Traits  of  this  description,  which  argue 
to  this  conclusion,  will,  in  the  course  of  this  work,  be  made  to  ap« 
pear ;  which  to  such  as  believe  the  Bible,  will  afiford  peculiar  plea- 
sure and  surprise. 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  THE  WEST. 


There  are  no  parts  of  the  kingdoms  or  countries  of  the  old 
world,  but  have  celebrated  in  poetry  and  sober  history,  the  mighty 
relics  and  antiquities  of  ancient  empires,  as  Rome,  Babylon,  Greece, 
Egypt,  Hindostan,  Tartary,  Africa,  China,  Persia,  Europe,  Russia, 
and  many  of  the  islands  of  the  sea.  It  yet  remains  for  America  to 
Bwake  her  story  from  its  oblivious  sleep,  and  tell  the  tale  of  her 
Antiquities — the  traits  of  nations,  coeval,  perhaps,  with  the  eldest 
works  of  man  this  side  the  flood. 

This  curious  subject,  although  it  is  obscured  beneath  the  gloom 
of  past  ages,  of  which  but  small  record  remains ;  beside  that  which 
is  written  in  the  dust,  in  the  form  of  mighty  mounds,  tumuli, 
strange  skeletons,  and  aborignal  fortifications ;  and,  in  some  few 
instances,  the  bodies  of  preserved  persons,  as  sometimes  found  in 
the  nitrous  caves  of  Kentucky,  and  the  west ;  afibrding  abundant 
premises  tp  prompt  investigation  and  rational  conjecture.  The 
mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west,  are  to  be  ranked  among  the  most 
wonderful  antiquities  of  the  world,  on  the  account  of  their  number, 
magnitude,  and  obscurity  of  origin. 

"  They  generally  are  found  on  fertile  bottoms  and  near  the  rivers. 
Several  hundreds  have  been  discovered  along  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi ;  the  largest  of  which  stands  not  far  from  Wheeling,  on 
the  Ohio.  This  mound  is  fifty  rods  in  circumference,  and  ninety 
feet  in  perpendicular  height. 

This  it  found  filled  with  thomsands  of  human  skeletons,  and  was 


38 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


doubtless  a  place  of  general  deposit  of  the  dead  for  ages ;  which 
must  have  been  contiguous  to  some  large  city,  where  the  dead  were 
placed  in  gradation,  one  layer  above  another,  till  it  reached  a  natu- 
ral climax,  agreeing  with  the  slope  commenced  at  its  base  or  foun- 
dation. 

It  is  not  credible  that  this  mound  was  made  by  the  ancestors 
of  the  modern  Indians  ;  its  magnitude,  and  the  vast  number  of  dead 
deposited  there,  denote  a  population  too  great  to  have  been  support- 
ed by  mere  fishing  and  hunting,  as  the  manner  of  Indians  has 
always  been.  A  population  sufficient  to  raise  such  a  mound  as  this, 
of  earth,  by  the  gradual  interment  of  deceased  inhabitants,  would 
necessarily  be  too  far  spread,  to  make  it  convenient  for  the  living  to 
transport  their  dead  to  one  single  place  of  repository.  The  modem 
Indians  have  ever  been  known,  since  the.  acquaintance  of  white  men 
with  them,  to  live  only  in  small  towns ;  which  refutes  the  idea  of 
its  having  been  made  by  any  other  people  than  such  as  differ  ex- 
ceedingly from  the  improvident  and  indolent  native ;  and  must, 
therefore,  have  been  erected  by  a  people  more  ancient,  than  what 
is  commonly  meant  by  the  Indian  aborigines,  or  wandering  tribes. 

Some  of  these  mounds  have  been  opened,  when,  not  only  vast 
quantities  of  human  bones  have  been  found,  but  also  instruments 
of  warfare,  broken  earthen  rases,  and  trinkets.  From  the  trees 
growing  on  them,  it  is  supposed  they  have  already  existed,  at  least, 
six  hundred  years,  and  whether  these  trees  were  the  first,  second, 
or  third  crop,  is  unknown ;  if  the  second  only,  which,  from  the  old 
and  decayed  timber,  partly  buried  in  the  vegetable  mould  and  leaves, 
seems  to  favor,  then  it  is  all  of  twelve  hundred  years  since  they 
were  abandoned,  'f  not  more. 

Foreign  travellers  cornpiain  th.it  America  presents  nothing  like 
ruins  within  her  boundaries  ;  no  ivy  mantled  towers,  nor  moss  cov- 
ered turrets,  as  in  the  other  quarters  of  the  earth.  Old  Fort  War- 
ren, on  the  Hudson,  rearing  its  lofty  decayed  sides  high  above  West- 
Point  ;  or  the  venerable  remains  of  two  wars,  at  Tieonderoga,  upon 
Lake  Champlain,  they  say,  ailbrd  something  of  the  kind.  But  what 
are  mouldering  castles,  falling  turrets,  or  crumbling  abbeys,  in  com- 
parison with  those  ancient  and  artificial  aboriginal  hills,  which  have 
outlived  generations,  and  even  all  tradition ;  the  workmanship  of 
altogether  unknown  hands. 

Place  these  monuments  and  secret  repositories  of  the  dead,  to- 


D: 


And  discoveries  in  the  west. 


gether  with  tlie  innumerable  mounds  and  monstrous  fortifications, 
which  are  scattered  over  America,  in  England,  and  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  how  would  their  virtuosi  examine,  and  their  anti- 
quarians fill  volumes,  with  their  probable  histories.  How  would 
tht  "r  fame  be  conveyed  from  learned  bodies,  and  through  literary 
volumes,  inquiring  who  were  the  builders,  of  what  age  of  the 
world,  whence  came  they,  and  their  descendants ;  if  any,  what  has 
become  of  them  ;  these  would  be  the  themes  of  constant  specula- 
tion and  inquiry. 

At  Marietta,  a  place  not  only  celebrated  as  being  the  first  settle- 
ment on  the  Ohio,  but  has  also  acquired  much  celebrity,  from  the 
existence  of  those  extensive  and  supposed  fortifications,  which  are 
situated  near  the  town.  They  consist. of  walls,  and  mounds  of 
earth,  running  in  strait  lines,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  and  nearly 
forty  broad  at  their  base.  There  is  also,  at  this  place,  one  fort  of 
this  ancient  description,  which  encloses  nearly  fifty  acres  of  land. 

There  are  openings  in  this  fortification,  which  are  supposed  to 
have  been,  when  thronged  with  its  own  busy  multitude,  "  used  as 
gateways,  with  a  passage  from  one  of  them,  formed  by  two  parallel 
walls  of  earth,  leading  towards  the  river. 

This  contrivance  was  undoubtedly  for  a  defence  against  surprise 
by  an  enemy,  while  the  inhabitants  dwelling  within  should  fetch 
water  from  the  river,  or  descend  thither  to  wash,  as  in  the  Ganges, 
among  the  Hindoos.     Also  the   greatness  of  tids  fort  is  evidence) 
not  only  of  the  power  of  its  builders,  but  also  of  those  they  feared. 
Who  can  tell  but  they  may  have,  by  intestine  feuds  and  wars,  ex- 
terminated themselves.     Such  instances  iire  not  unfrequent  among 
petty  tribes  of  the  earth.     Witness  the  war  between  Benjamin  and 
his  brother  tribes,  when  but  a  mere  handful  of  their  number  re- 
mained to  redeem  them  from  complete  annihilation.     Many  nations, 
an  account  of  whom,  as  once  existing,  is  found  on  the  page  of  his- 
tory, now,  have  noi  a  trace  left  behind.     More  than  sixty  tribes 
which  once  traversed  the  woods  of  the  west,  and  who  were  known 
to  the  first  settlers  of  the  New-England  states,  are  now  extinct. 

The  French  of  the  Mississippi  have  an  account,  that  an  exter- 
minating battle  was  fought  in  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century, 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  years  ago,  on  the  ground  where 
Fort  Harrison  iima  stands 
sissippi,  and  those  of  the  Wabash 


between  the  Indians  living  on  th 


-Mt:- 


The  bone  of  contention  was, 


f) 


AUr.llICAN   A.^fTiqUlTlBi 


tiie  lands  lying  between  those  rivers,  which  both  parties  ck{med> 
There  were  about  1000  warriors  on  each  side.  The  condition  of 
the  fight  was,  that  the  victors  should  possess  the  lands  in  dispute^ 
The  grandeur  of  the  prize  was  peculiarly  calculated  to  inflame  the 
ardor  of  savage  minds.  The  contest  commenced  about  sunrise. — 
Both  parties  fought  desperately.  The  Wabash  warriors  came  off 
conquerors,  having  seven  men  left  alive  at  sunset,  and  their  adver- 
saries, the  Mississippians,  but  five.  This  battle  was  fought  ntcr 
fifty  years  before  their  acquaintance  with  white  men."  (Webster's 
Gazetteer,  1817,  page  69.) 

It  is  possible,  whoever  the  authors  of  these  great  works,  were, 
or  however  long  they  may  have  lived  on  the  continent,  ihat  they 
may  bave,  in  the  same  way,  by  intestine  feuds  and  wars,  weakened 
themselves,  so  that  when  the  Tartars,  Scythians,  and  descendants 
of  the  ten  lost  tribes,  came  across  the  Straits  of  Bhering,  that  they 
fell  an  easy  prey,  to  those  fierce  and  savage  northern  hordes. 

It  is  not  likely,  that  the  vast  warlike  preparations  which  extend 
over  the  whole  continent,  south  of  certain  places  in  Canada,  were 
thrown  up,  all  of  a  sudden,  on  a  first  discovery  of  a  strange  enemy  ; 
for  it  might  be  inquired,  how  should  they  know  of  such  a  mode  of 
defence,  unless  they  had  acquired  it  in  the  course  cf  ages,  arising 
from  necessity  or  caprice  ;  but  it  is  probable  they  were  constructed 
to  defend  against  the  invasions  of  each  other  ;  being  of  various  ori- 
gin and  separate  interests,  as  was  much  the  situation  of  the  ancient 
nations  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

Petty  tribes  of  the  same  origin,  over  the  whole  earth,  have  been 
found  to  wage  perpetual  war  against  each  other,  from  motives  of 
avarice,  power,  or  hatred.     In  the  most  ancient  eras  of  the  history 
of  n.an,  little  walled  to^-^ns,  which  were  raised  for  the  security  of 
a  few  families,  under  a  chief,  king,  or  patriarch,  are  known  to  have 
existed  ;  which  is  evidence  of  the  disjointed  and  unharmonious 
state  of  human  society  ;  out  of  which,  wars,  rapine,  and  plunder, 
arose:   buch  may  have  been  the  state  of  man  in  America,  be- 
fore the  Indians  found  their  way  here  ;  the  evidence  of  which  is, 
the  innumerable  fortifications,  found  every  where  in  the  western 
regions. 

Within  this  fort,  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  found  at 
Marietta,  are  elevated  squares^  situated  at  the  corners;  some  vn 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  by  ar  hundred  and  thirty  brtmd,  mm 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST, 


feet  high,  and  level  on  the  top.     On  these  squares,  erected  at  th« 
corners  ot  this  great  enclosure,  were  doubtless  placed  some  modes 
of  annoyance  to  a  besieging  enemy  ;  such  as  engines  to  sliog  itonet 
Mvith,  or  to  throw  the  dart  and  spear,  or  whatever  might  have  b«en 
their  modes  of  defence,  tj?*' j   ■ !  »'i;;n  m;  .  i  n  Jrnvv:^  'rM  fiuiUw*r 
Outside  of  this  fort,  is  a  mo&i:  singular  mound,  diffeiing  in  form 
from  their  general  configuration :  its  shape  is  that  of  a  sugar  loaf, 
the  base  of  which  is  more  than  an  hundred  feet  in  circumference, 
its  height  thirty,  encompassed  by  a  ditch,  and  defended  bj  a  para- 
pet, or  wall  beyond  the  ditch,  about  breast  high,  through  which  if 
a  way  toward  the  main  fort.     Human  bones  have  been  taken  from 
many  of  these  mounds,  and  charcoal,  with  fragments  of  pottery  ;  and 
what  is  more  strange    han  all  the  rest,  in  one  plaoe,  a  skeleton  of  a 
man,  buried  east  and  west  after  the  manner  of  enlightened  natioDS 
was  found,  as  if  they  understood  the  cardinal  points  of  the  com" 
pass.     On  the  breast  of  this  skeleton  was  found  a  quantity  of  isin- 
glass, a  substance  sometimes  used  by  the  ancient  Bussians,  for  the 
purposes  that  glass  is  now  ustidv       '!  i>.n  i^Htr  ,(?sc>Ju)«i  ?»ij  iw  itia*i 

L^ — '■ — : — '■ — '^ .tjsaim 

..ft'* 


*^VV 


*'■•    '''         RUINS  OF  A  ROMAN  FORT  AT  MARIETTA.     '«  ^Hfsl 

But  respecting  this  fort  we  imagine,  that  even  Romans  inay  have 
built  it,  however  strange  this  may  appear.  The  reader  >>:vin  be  ao 
kind  as  to  have  patience  till  we  have  advanced  all  our  reasons  for 
this  strange  conjecture,  before  he  casts  it  from  him  as  hnposMblei 

Our  reasons  for  this  ides.,  arise  out  of  the  great  similarity  there 
is  between  its  form,  and  fortifications,  or  camps,  built  by  the  an- 
cient Romans.  And  in  order  to  sliow  the  similarity,  we  have  squo- 
ted  the  account  of  the  forms  of  Roman  cnthps  from  Josephus's  de-* 
scripHon  of  their  military  works.  See  his  works,  Book  v.  chap*  5, 
page  219,  as  follows. 

"  Nor  can  their  enemies  easily  surprise  them  with  the  suddenness 
of  their  incursions,  for  as  soon  as  they  have  marched  into  an  eoe- 
my's  land,  they  do  not  begin  to  fight  till  they  have  toalkd  thdr 
ca«Mi.  about,  nor  is  the  fence  they  raise,  srashlf  iuoue,  6f  Ducteui 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


^ 


fiM  dd  they  all  abide  ia  it ;  nor  do  those  that  are  in  it,  take  their 
place  at  random  :  but  if  it  happens  that  the  giuUDd  is  uneven,  it  iv 
first  levelled." 

**  Their  camps  are  also /our  square  by  measure ;  as  for  what  space 
is  within  the  camp,  it  is  set  apart  for  tents,  but  the  outward  circum- 
ference hath  the  resemblance  to  a  wall ;  and  is  adorned  with  towers 
at  equal  distances,  where,  between  the  towers  stand  the  engines  for 
throwing  arrows  and  darts,  and  for  slinging  stones,  and  where  they 
lay  all  otherengines  that  can  annoy  the  enemy,  all  ready  for  their 
several  operations. 

■  *'  They  also  erect  four  gates,  one  in  the  middle  of  each  side  of  the 
circumference,  or  square,  and  those  large  enough  for  the  entrance 
of  beasts,  and  wide  enough  for  making  excursions,  if  occasion 
should  require.  They  divide  the  camp  within  into  streets,  very 
conveniently,  and  place  the  tents  of  the  commanders  in  the  middle  ; 
in  the  very  midst  of  all,  is  the  general's  own  tent,  in  the  nature 
•nd  form  of  a  temple,  insomuch  that  it  appears  to  be  a  city, 
built  on  the  suddeh,  with  its  market  place,  and  places  for  handi> 
craft  trades,  and  with  seats  for  the  officers,  superior  and  inferior, 
where  if  any  differences  arise,  their  causes  are  heard  and  deter- 
mined. 

**  The  camp  and  all  that  is  in  it,  is  encompassed  with  a  wall  round 
about,  and  that  sooner  than  one  would  imagine,  and  this  by  the  mul- 
titode  and  skill  of  the  labourers.  And  if  occasion  require,  a  trench 
is  drawn  round  the  whole,  whose  depth  is  four  cubits,  and  its  breadth 
equal)"  which  it*     trifle  more  than  six  feet  in  depth  and  width. 

The  similarity  between  the  Roman  camps  and  the  one  near  Mariet- 
ta, consists  as  follows :  they  are  both  four  square  ;  the  one  standing 
near  the  great  fort,  and  is  connected  by  two  parallel  walls,  as  de- 
scribed ;  has  also  a  ditch  surrounding  it,  as  the  Romans  sometimes 
encircled  theirs ;  and  doubtless,  when  first  constructed,  had  a  fence 
of  timber,  (as  Josephus  says  the  Romans  had,)  all  round  it,  and  all 
other  forts  of  that  description  ;  but  time  has  dr-^troyed  them. 

If  the  Roman  camp  had  its  elevated  squares  at  its  comers,  for 
the  purposes  of  overlooking  the  foe  and  of  shootipg  stones,  darts> 
and  arrows ;  so  had  the  fort  at  Marietta,  of  more  than  an  hundred 
feet  square,  on  an  average,  of  their  forms,  and  nine  feet  high.  Its 
parapets  and  gateways  are  similar ;  also  the  probable  extent  of  the 
Roman  encampments,  agrees  well  with  the  one  at  Marietta,  which 


!  '1 


^^«> 


i.ND    CIICOVERIKS    IN    THE    WKST- 


4« 


embraces  near  fifty  acres  within  its  enclosure  ;  a  space  sufficient  to 
have  contained  a  great  army  ;  with  streets  and  elevated  squares  at 
its  corners,  like  the  Romans.  Dr.  Morse,  the  geographer,  says, 
the  war  camps  of  the  ancient  Panes,  Beigs,  and  Saxons,  as  found 
in  England,  were  universally  of  the  circular,  while  those  of  the 
Romans  in  the  same  country,  are  distinguished  by  the  square  form ; 
is  not  this,  theretpre,  a  trgit  ji^f  the  name  people's  work  in  America, 
as  in  England?  '*■'*  '•t:^''\  •>t>ir>«>  -iv*  ,.  ».;,.ij»ir*,>>j.j^  tti  *»f(i{*» 

Who  can  tell  but  during  the  four  hundred  years  the  Romans  iiad 
all  the  west  of  Europe  attached  to  their  empire,  but  they  may  have 
found  their  way  tn  America,  as  well  as  other  nations,  the  Welch, 
and  the  Scandinavians,  in  after  ages,  as  we  shall  show,  before  we 
end  the  volume. 

Rome,  it  nius.  be  remembered,  was  mistress  of  the  known  world, 
as  they  supposed,  and  were  in  the  possession  of  the  arts  and  sciences ; 
with  a  knowledge  of  navigation  sufficient  to  traverse  the  oceans  of 
the  globe,  even  without  the  compass,  by  means  of  the  stars  by  nighty 
and  the  sun  by  day. 

The  history  of  England  informs  us,  that  as  early  as  fifty-five 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  the  Romans  invaded  the  island  of 
Brittany,  and  that  their  ships  were  so  large  and  heavy,  and  drew 
such  Ti  depth  of  water,  that  their  soldiers  were  obliged  to  leap  into 
the  aea,  aud  fight  their  way  to  the  shore,  struggling  with  tht:  wavei 
and  the  enemy,  both  at  once,  because  they  could  not  bring  their 
vessels  near  the  shore,  on  account  of  their  size. 

America  has  not  yet  been  peopled  from  Europe,  so  long  by  an 
hundred  years,  as  the  Romans  were  in  possession  of  the  Island  of 
Britain.  Now  what  has  not  America  effected  in  enterprise,  duiing 
this  time  ;  and  although  her  advantages  are  superior  to  those  of  the 
Romans,  when  they  held  England  as  a  province,  yet,  we  are  not  to 
suppose  they  were  idle,  especially  when  their  character  at  that  timey 
was  a  martial  and  a  maratime  one.  In  this  character,  therefore, 
were  they  not  exactly  fitted  to  make  discoveries  about  in  the  north- 
ern and  western  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  and  may,  therefore,  have  found 
America,  made  partial  settlements  in  various  places;  may  have 
coasted  along  down  the  shores  of  this  country,  till  they  came  to4he 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  up  that  stream,  making  here 
and  there  a  settlement.  This  supposition  is  as  natural,  and  as  foii^. 
4ibie,  for  the  Romans  to  have  done,  as  that  Hudson  should  find  tto 


/-y] 


AMEBIC  AN  ANTIQUITlKf    iir  ^ 


*r 


I 


mooth  of  the  North  River,  aud  explore  it  m  far  oorth  a*  to  whers 
dw  city  of  Albany  is  now  standing.  *«»««  J<iirt,?i  «  bitutinfiu  *¥«« 
V  It  waa  eqrially  in  their  power  to  have  found  this  coaat  by  chance, 
*a  the  Scandinavians  in  the  year  1000  or  thereabouts,  who  made  a 
wttlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  but  more  of  this  in 
due  thne. 

To  show  the  Romans  did  actually  go  on  voyages  of  discovery, 
while  in  possession  of  Britain,  we  quote  from  t!ie  history  of  Eng- 
land, that  when  Julius  Agricola  was  governor  of  South  Britain,  he 
Miled  quite  around  it,  and  ascertained  it  to  be  an  island,  'w  ..■^f,>^^ 

Thia  was  about  an  hundred  years  after  their  first  subduing  the 
country,  or  fifty-two  years  after  Chiist. 

But  they  may  have  had  a  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  this 
country,  prior  to  their  invasion  of  Britain.  And  lest  the  reader 
may  be  alarmed  at  such  a  position,  we  hasten  to  show  in  what  man- 
ner they  might  have  attained  it,  by  relating  &  lute  discovery  of  a 
planter  in  South  America.       '  .c.«;,)i.iv> ..  ii  4u«i'iir*  *>^'.> ;    .     ,  ,-.- 

"  Jn  the  month  of  December,  1827,  a  planter^  discovered  in  a 
field,  a  short  distance  from  Mont-Videu,  a  sort  of  tomb  stone^  npon 
wiiich  strange,  and  to  him  unknown  signs,  or  characters,  were  en- 
graved. He  caused  this  stone,  which  covered  a  small  excavation, 
formed  with  masonry,  to  be  raised,  in  which  he  found  two  exceed- 
ingly ancient  swords,  a  helmet^  and  shield^  which  had  sufiered  much 
ftom  rust,  also  an  earUien  vesst:!  of  large  capacity. 

The  planter  caused  the  swords,  the  helmet,  and  earthen  amphora, 
together  with  the  stone  slab,  Avhich  covered  the  whole,  to  be  re- 
moved to  Mont-Video,  where,  in  spiteoftheefilctof  time,  Greek 
words  were  easily  made  out ;  which,  when  translated,  read  as  fol- 
lows: "  During  the  dominion  of  Alexander  the  son  of  Philip,  King 
of  MacedoD,  in  the  sixty-third  Olympiad,  Ptolemais," — it  was  im- 
pocsible  to  decipher  the  re^t,  on  account  of  the  ravages  of  time,  on 
the  engraving  of  the  stone. 

-  On  the  handle  of  one  of  the  swords,  was  the  portrait  of  a  man, 
Supposed  to  be  Alexander  tlie  Great.  Oa  the  helmet  there  is  sculp- 
tured work,  that  must  have  been  executed  by  the  most  exquisite 
skill,  representing  Achillea  dragging  the  corpse  of  Hector  round  the 
WsHs  of  Troy ;  an  account  of  which  is  familiar  to  every  classic 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WE<T. 


40 


This  diitcovery  was  similar  to  the  Fabula  Hieca,  the  bau  relief 
atucco,  found  in  the  ruius  of  the  Via  Appia,  at  Fratachio,  in  Spain, 
belonging  to  the  Princess  of  Colona,  which  represented  all  the  prin' 
cipal  scenes  in  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey.  .  /j  ,r;otp  ^»v  ru  n<;.v^ 

From  this  it  is  quite  clear,  >::ys  the  editor  of  the  Cabinet  of  In- 
struction and  Literature,  from  which  wc  have  extracted  this  ac- 
count, vol.  3,  page  99,  that  the  dis'^overy  of  this  monumental  altar 
is  proof  that  a  cotemporary  of  Arisloth;,  one  of  the  Greek  philoso- 
phers, ha.s  dug  up  the  soil  of  Brnzil  and  La  Plata,  in  South  America. 

It  is  conjectured  that  this  Ptolemaios,  mentioned  on  the  stone, 
was  the  commander  of  Alexander's  fleet,  which  k  supposed  to  have 
been  overtaken  by  a  storm  at  sea,  iu  the  great  ocean,  (the  Atlan- 
tic,) as  the  ancients  called  it,  and  were  driven  on  to  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  or  the  South  American  coast,  where  they  doubtless  erected 
the  above  mentioned  monument,  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the 
voyage  to  so  distant  a  country  ;"  and  that  it  might  not  be  lost  to 
the  world,  if  any  in  after  ages  might  chance  to  iind  it,  as  at  last  it 
was  permitted  to  be  in  the  progress  of  events. 

The  above  conjecture,  however,  that  Ptolemaios,  a  name  found 
engrav'.d  on  the  stone  slab  which  covered  the  mason  work  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  was  one  of  Alexander's  admirals,  is  not  well  found- 
ed, as  there  is  no  mention  of  such  an  admiral  in  the  employ  of  that 
emperor,  found  on  the  page  of  the  history  of  those  times.  ■>  is,  fpw 
>^4  But  the  names  of  Nearchus  and  Onesicritus,  are  mentioned  as 
being  admirals  of  the  fleets  of  Alexander  the  Great ;  and  the  name 
of  Pytheas,  who  lived  at  the  same  time,  is  mentioned  as  being  a 
Greek  philosopher,  geographer,  and  astronomer,  as  well  as  a  voy- 
ager, if  not  an  admiral,  as  he  made  several  voyages  into  the  great 
Atlantic  ocean  ;  which  are  mentioned  by  Eratosthenes,  a  Greek 
philosopher,  mathematician  and  historian,  who  flourished  two  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ. 

Strabo,  a  celebrated  geographer  and  voyager,  who  lived  about 
the  time  of  the  commenceuient  of  the  Christian  era,  speaks  of  the 
voyages  of  Pytheas,  by  way  of  admission  ;  diid  says  tl)at  his  know- 
ledge of  Spain,  Gaul,  Germany,  and  Britain,  and  all  the  countries 
of  the  north  of  Europe,  was  extremely  limited.  He  had  indeed 
voyaged  along  the  coasts  of  those  countries,  but  had  obtained  but 
an  indistinct  knowledge  of  their  relative  situations. 


•f 


a.. 
40 


AMERICAN    AltTIQUiTIR.I 


A. 


■f     ' 


Duriug  the  adventures  of  this  man  at  xea,  for  the  very  purpoM 
or>McertaiDing  the  geography  of  the  earth,  by  tracing  the  coasts  of 
countries,  there  was  a  great  liability  of  his  being  driven  off  in  a 
western  direction,  not  only  by  the  current  which  sets  always  to- 
wards America,  but  also  by  the  Irade  windsj  which  blow  iu  the 
iime  direction  for  several  months  in  the  yf:ar. 

Pytheas,  therefore,  with  his  fleet,  it  is  most  probable,  either  by 
design  or  storms,  is  the  man  who  was  driven  on  to  the  American 
coast,  and  caused  this  subterranean  monument  of  masonry  to  be 
erected.  The  Ptolemaios,  or  Ptolemy,  mentioned  on  the  stone,  may 
refer  to  one  of  the  four  generals  of  Alexander,  called  sometimes 
Ptolemy  Lagus,  or  Soter.  This  is  the  man  who  had  Egypt  for  his 
bhare  of  the  conquests  of  Alexander ;  and  it  is  likely  the  mention  of 
his  name  on  the  stone,  in  connexion  with  that  of  Alexander,  was 
caused  either  by  his  presence  at  the  time  the  stone  was  prepared, 
or  because  he  patronised  the  voyages  and  geographical  researches 
of  the  philosopher  and  navigator  Pytheas. 

Alexander  the  great  flourished  about  three  hundred  years  before 
Christ ;  he  was  a  Grecian,  the  origin  of  whose  nation  is  said  to  have 
been  Japetus,  a  descendant  of  Japheth,  one  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  as 
before  shown. 

Let  it  be  observed  the  kingdom  of  Macedon,of  which  Alexander 
was  the  last,  as  well  as  the  greatest  of  its  kings,  commenced  eight 
hundred  and  fourteen  years  before  Christ,  which  was  sixty-one 
years  earlier  than  the  commencement  of  the  Romans. 

Well,  what  is  to  be  learned  from  all  this  story  about  the  Greeks, 
respecting  any  knowledge  in  possession  of  the  Homsins  about  a  con- 
tinent west  of  Europe  .'  Simply  this,  which  is  quite  sufficient  for 
our  purpose  :  That  an  account  of  this  voyag',  whether  it  was  an 
accidental  one,  or  a  voyage  of  discovery,  could  not  but  be  kvoum  to 
the  Romans,  as  well  as  to  the  Greeks,  anc'  entered  on  the  records 
of  the  nation  on  their  return.  But  where.,  then.,  is  the  record  ?  We 
must  go  to  the  flames  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals,  who  overran  the 
Roman  empire,  in  whicli  the  discoveries,  both  of  countries  and  the 
histories  of  antiquity,  \Nere  dest'  >yed  ;  casting  over  those  countries 
which  they  subdued,  the  gloom  of  barbarous  ignorance,  congenial 
with  the  shades  uf  the  dreadful  forests  of  the  north,  from  whence 
they  originated.     On  which  account,  countries,  and  the  knowledge 


.  f  :^'^-n. 


AND    DISCOVElttES   IN    THE    WEST- 


47 


15S 


of  many  arts,  anciently  known,  were  to  be  discovered  over  again, 
and  among  them,  it  is  believed,  was  America. 

When  Columbus  discovered  this  country,  and  had  returned  to 
Spain,  it  was  soon  known  to  all  Europe.  The  same  we  may 
suppose  of  the  discovery  of  the  same  coimtry  by  the  Greeks,  though 
with  infinite  less  publicity  ;  because  the  world  at  that  time  had  not 
the  advantage  of  printing ;  yet  in  some  degree  the  discovery  must 
have  been  known,  especially  among  the  great  men  of  both  Greeks 
and  Romans. 

The  Grecian  or  Macedonian  kingdom,  after  the  death  of  Alex- 
ander, maintained  its  existence  but  a  short  time,  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  years  only  ;  when  the  Romans  defeated  Perseus,  which 
ended  the  Macedonian  kingdom,  one  hundred  nnd  sixty-eight  years 
before  Christ.  ^.j  v;    *».»-".«.» 

At  this  time,  and  thereafter,  the  Romans  held  on  their  course  of 
war  and  conquest,  till  four  hun(!.-ed  and  ten  years  after  Christ ; — 
amounting  in  all,  from  their  beginning,  till  Rome  was  taken  and 
plundered  by  Alaric,  king  of  the  Visigoths,  to  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  years.  <,i    /!.p.  =1  ..;•.   'w..  /  i.  »■  t^  i.'i„f'iiMt.-^ 

Is  it  to  be  supposed  the  Romans,  a  warlike,  enlightened,  and 
enterprising  people,  who  had  found  their  way  by  sea  so  far  north 
from  Rome  as  to  the  island  of  Britain,  and  actually  sailed  all  round 
it,  would  not  explore  farther  north  and  west,  especially  as  they  had 
some  hundred  years  opportunity,  while  in  possession  of  the  north  of 
Europe.  ^   ,.;..,        ,.._:,    '  ' 

Morse,  the  geograpl'  ,  m  his  second  volume,  page  126,  says, — - 
Ireland,  which  is  situ*ted  west  of  England,  was  probably  discover- 
ed by  the  Phcenician*  ,  the  era  of  whose  voyages  and  maritime  ex- 
ploits, commenced  nwre  than  fourteen  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
and  continued  several  ages.  Their  country  was  situated  at  the 
east  end  of  the  Mediterranean  sea  ;  so  that  a  voyage  to  the  Atlan- 
tic, through  the  Strait  of  Gibralter  west,  would  be  a  distance  of 
about  2,300  miles,  and  from  Gibralter  to  Ireland,  a  voyage  of  about 
1,400  miles  ;  which,  in  the  whole  amount,  is  nearl\  lour  thousand. 

Ireland  is  farther  north,  by  about  five  degrees,  than  Newfound- 
land, and  the  latter  only  about  1,800  miles  southwest  from  Ireland ; 
60  that  while  the  Phcenicians  were  coasting  and  voyaging  about  in 
the  Atlantic,  in  so  high  a  northern  latitude  as  Ireland  and  England, 
may  well  be  supposed  to  have  discovered  Nc^vfoundland,  (either 


AMERICAN   ANTIQVItlES     'i 

by  being  lost  or  driven  there  by  storm,)  which  is  very  near  the 
coast  of  America.  Phcenician  letters  are  said  to  be  engraven  on 
some  rocks  on  Taunton  river,  near  the  sea,  in  Massachusetts ;  if  so, 
this  is  proof  of  the  position. 

Some  hundreds  of  years  after  the  first  historical  notice  of  the 
Phoenician  voyages,  and  two  hundred  years  before  the  birtli  of 
Christ,  the  Greeks,  it  is  said,  became  acquainted  with  Ireland,  and 
was  known  among  them  by  the  name  of  .Tuverna.  Ptolemy,  the 
Egyptian  geographer,  who  flourished  about  an  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  has  given  a  map  of  that  island,  which  is  said  to  be  very 
correct.-  -Morse. 

Here  we  have  satisfactory  historical  evidence,  that  Ireland,  as 
well,  of  course,  as  all  the  coast  of  northern  Europe,  with  the  very 
islands  adjacent,  were  known,  tirst  to  the  Phcenicians,  second,  to 
the  Greeks — third  to  the  Roiaans — and  fourth,  to  the  Egyptians— 
in  those  early  ages,  from  which  a>  ses  a  great  probability  that  Ame- 
rica may  have  been  well  known  to  the  ancient  nations  of  the  old 
world.  On  which  account,  when  the  Romans  had  extended  their 
conquests  so  for  north  as  nearly  to  old  Norway,  in  latitude  60  deg. 
over  the  greater  part  of  Europe — they  were  well  prepared  to  ex- 
plore the  North  Atlantic,  in  a  western  direction,  in  quest  of  new 
countries  ;  having  already  sufficient  data  to  believe  western  coun- 
tries existed. 

It  is  not  impossible  the  Danes,  Norwegians,  and  Welsh,  may 
have  at  first  obtained  some  knowledge  of  western  lands,  islands  and 
territories,  from  the  discoveries  of  the  Romans,  or  from  their  opin- 
ions, and  handed  down  the  story,  till  the  Scandinavians  or  Norwe- 
gians discovered  Iceland,  Greenland,  and  America,  many  hundred 
years  before  the  time  of  Columbus. 

But,  however  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  those  nations  of  the  nortfi 
of  Europe,  did  visit  this  country,  as  we  have  promised  to  show  in 
its  proper  place.  Would  Columbus  have  made  his  attempt,  if  be 
had  not  believed,  or  conjectured,  there  was  a  western  continent ; 
or  by  some  means  obtained  hints  respecting  it,  or  the  probability  of 
its  existence.  It  is  said  Columbus  found,  at  a  certain  time,  the 
corpses  of  two  men,  of  a  tawny  complexion,  floating  in  the  sea, 

asar  the  coast  of  Spain,  which  he  knew  were  not  of  European  ori- 
gin ;  but  had  been  driven  by  the  sea  from  some  unknown  western 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


country  ;  also  timber  and  branches  of  trees,  all  of  which  confirmed 
him  in  his  opinion  of  the  existence  of  other  countries  westwar4r<»'^<. 
If  the  Romans  may  have  found  this  country,  they  may  also  have 
attempted  its  colonization,  as  the  immense  square  forts  of  the  west^ 
would  seem  to  suggest. 

In  1821,  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Desperes,  in  Missouri,  was 
found,  by  an  Indian,  a  Roman  Coin,  and  presented  to  Gov.  Cluk> 
Oazetteer  of  Missouri,  p.  312.  ■»  •    -  ■"■■<■'  - 

This  is  no  more  singular  than  the  discovery  of  a  Persian  ooin 
near  a  spring  on  the  Ohio,  some  feet  under  ground  ;  as  we  have 
shown  in  another  place  of  this  work ;  all  of  which  go  to  ancouragc 
the  conjecture  respecting  the  presence  of  the  ancient  Romans  in 
America. 

The  remains  of  former  dwellings,  found  along  the  Ohio,  where 
the  stream  has,  in  many  places,  washed  away  its  banks,  Iiearthi  and 
fire  places  are  brought  to  light,  from  two  to  six  feet  deep  below  the 
surface.  ::;■  -'j    -j\  ■.•'.■>.- .y.-^.    .■  ■■     .:>■  y,  ■^'j^ii::^- 

Near  these  remains  are  found  immense  quantities  of  muscle  shetts 
and  bones  of  animals.  From  the  depths  of  many  of  these  remnants 
of  chimnies,  and  from  the  fact  that  trees  as  large  as  any  in  the  sur* 
rounding  forest,  were  found  growing  on  the  ground  above  those  fire 
places,  at  the  time  the  country  was  first  settled  by  its  present  inha- 
bitants, the  conclusion  is  drawn  that  a  very  long  period  has  elapsed 
since  these  subterraneous  remnants  of  the  dwellings  of  man  were 
deserted. 

HeartJts  and  Fire  Places  :  Are  not  these  evidences  that  build* 
ings  once  towered  above  them  ;  if  not  such  as  now  accommodfltci 
the  milUous  of  America,  yet  they  may  have  been  such  as  the  an- 
cient Britons  used  at  the  time  the  Romans  first  invaded  their 
country.  '.    -,    ,     -    •   .v..    ,.^  ,    •    <•.;.;-. y;^^ip^^i?*^;; 

These  were  formed  of  logs  set  up  endwise,  drawn  in  at  the  top, 
CO  that  the  smoke  might  pass  up,  at  an  aperture  left  open  at  the 
summit.  They  were  not  square  on  the  ground,  as  houses  are  now 
built,  but  set  in  a  circle,  one  log  against  the  other,  with  the  hearth 
and  fae  place  in  the  centre.  At  the  opening  in  the  top,  where  the 
smoke  went  out,  the  light  came  in,  as  no  other  window  was  then 
used.  There  are  still  remaining,  in  several  parts  of  England,  the 
vestiges  of  large  stone  buildings  made  in  this  way,  i.  e.  in  a  circle' 
— Damd  Blair\<i  Hist,  of  England,  page  8. 

7 


M 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


At  Cincinnati  there  are  two  Museums,  one  of  which  contain  s 
great  variety  of  western  antiquitits,  many  skulls  of  Indians,  and 
more  than  an  hundred  remains  of  what  has  beet .  dug  out  of  the 
aboriginal  mounds.  The  most  strange  and  curious  of  all,  is  a  cup, 
made  of  clay,  with  three  faces  on  the  sides  of  the  cup,  each  present- 
ing regular  features  of  a  man^  and  beautifully  delineated.  It  is  the 
same  represented  on  the  plate.     See  letter  E. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said,  and  not  a  little  written,  by  antiqua« 
rians  about  tiiis  cup.  It  was  found  in  one  of  those  mysterious 
mounds,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  tnune  cup ;  and  there 
are  tho.se  who  think  the  makers  of  it  had  an  allusion  to  the  Trinity 
of  the  Godhead.     Hence  its  name,  "  Triune  cup." 

In  this  neighborhood,  the  yellow  Springs,  a  day's  ride  below 
Cincinnati,  stands  one  of  those  singular  mounds.  Whenever  we 
Tiew  those  most  singular  objects  of  curiosity  and  remains  of  art,  a 
thoasand  inquiries  spring  up  in  the  mind.  They  have  excited  the 
wonder  of  all  who  have  seen  or  heard  of  them.  Who  were  those 
aneienta  of  the  west,  and  xjchen^  and  for  what  purpose,  these  mounds 
were  constructed,  are  questions  of  the  most  interesting  nature,  and 
have  engaged  the  researches  of  the  most  inquisitive  antiquarians.— >  • 
Abundant  evidence,  however,  can  be  piocured,  that  they  are  not  of 
Indian  origin. 

With  this  sentiment  there  is  a  general  acquiescence ;  however 
we  think  it  proper,  in  this  place,  to  quote  Dr.  Beck's  remarks  on 
this  point,  from  his  Gazetteer  of  the  States  of  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
see  page  308 :  "  Ancient  works  exist  on  this  river,  the  Arkansas, 
as  elsewhere.     The  remains  of  mounds  and  fortifications  are  almost 
every  where  to  be  seen.     One  of  the  largest  mounds  in  this  coun* 
try  has  been  thrown  up  on  this  stream,  (the  Wabpsh,)  within  the 
last  thirty  or  forty  years,  by  the  Osages,  near  the  great  Osage  vil- 
lage, in  honor  of  one  of  their  deceased  chiefs.     This  fact  proves 
conclusively,  the  original  object  of  these  mounds,  and  refutes  the 
theory  that  they  roust  necessarily  have  been  erected  by  a  race  of 
men  more  civilized  than  the  present  tribes  of  Indians.     Were  it  ne- 
cessary, (says  Dr.  Beck,)  numerous  other  facts  might  be  adduced 
to  prove  that  the  mounds  are  no  other  than  the  tombs  of  their  great 
men.    ^np-ty  i^-  ,-f  •;.  i^.-i  .      ■     - 

That  ibis  is  orns  of  their  uses,  there  is  no  doubt,  but  not  their  ex- 
chuive  use.     The  vast  height  of  some  of  them,  which  is  more  than 


,*., 


AND    piSCOVERIES   IM    THE    WEST. 


51 


1 


an  huudred  feet,  would  seem  to  point  them  out  as  places  of  look- 
oul,  which,  if  the  country,  in  the  days  when  their  builders  flourished, 
was  cleared  and  cultivated,  would  overlook  the  country  to  a  great 
distance  ;  and  if  it  were  not,  6till  their  towering  summits  wpuljl 
surmount  even  the  interference  of  the  forests.  ),  \*"«»l  5»i%5  xliifes^'i 
But  althoufi;h  the  Osa£e  Indians  have  so  recently  thrown. up  one 
such  mound,  yet  this  does  not  prove  them  to  be  of  American  Indian 
origin ;  and  as  this  is  an  isolated  case,  would  rather  argue  that  the 
Osage  tribe  have  originally  descended  from  their  more  ancient  pro- 
genitors,  the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  jrrior  to  the  intrusioiu  of 
the  late  Indians  from  Asia.  '*■* ;  >' 

Before  we  close  this  work,  we  shall  attempt  to  make  this  appear 
from  their  own  traditions,  which  have  of  late  been  procured  from 
the  most  ancient  of  their  tribes,  the  Wyandots,  as  handed  down  for 
hundreds  of  years,  and  from  other  sources. 

The  very  form  and  character  which  Dr.  Beck  has  given  the 
Osage  Indians,  argues  them  of  a  superior  stock,  or  rather  a  different 
race  of  men  ;  as  follows  :  "  In  person,  the  Osages  are  among  the 
l^rorest  and  best  formed  Indians,  and  are  said  to  possess  fine  military 
..  J  tc^.ies;  but  residing,  as  they  do,  in  villages,  and  having  made 
:  :luerable  advances  in  agrkulture,  they  seem  less  addicted  to  war 
Ihan  their  northern  neifihbors." 

The  whole  of  this  character  given  of  the  Osage  Indians,  their 
miUtary  taste,  their  agricultural  genius,  their  noble  and  coipmand- 
ing  forms  of  person,  and  being  less  "  addicted  to  war,"  shows  them, 
it  would  seem,  exclusively  of  other  origin  than  that  of  the  common 
Indians. 

It  is  supposed  the  inhabitants  who  found  their  way  first  to  this 
country,  after  its  division,  in  the  days  of  Peleg,  and  were  here  long 
before  the  modern  Indians,  came  not  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strait 
from  Kamskatka,  in  Asia,  but  directly  from  China,  across  the  Pad  i 
fie,  to  the  western  coast  of  America,  by  means  of  islands  which 
abounded  anciently  in  that  ocean  between  Chinese  Tartary,  China, 
and  South  America,  even  more  than  at  present,  which  are,  how- 
ever, now  very  numerous ;  and  also  by  the  means  of  boats,  of  which 
all  mankind  have  always  had  a  knowledge.  In  this  way,  without 
any  difficulty,  more  than  is  common,  they  could  have  found  their 
way  to  this,  as  mankind  have  to  every  part  of  the  earth.       v^/ 


VJ 


^i» 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


:iy 


I 


i 


tiquity  appear  north  of  the  United  States ;  Mackenzie,  in  his  over- 
land journey  to  the  Pacific,  travelling  northwest  from  Montreal  in 
Canada,  does  not  mention  a  single  vesti^'?  of  the  kind,  nor  does 
Carver.  If,  then,  there  f  e  none  of  these  peculiar  kinds,  such  as 
mounds  and /br/«  farther  north  than  about  the  latitude  of  the  Cana-. 
das,  it  would  appear  from  this,  that  the  first  authors  of  these  works, 
tvptctfWy  of  the  mounds  and  tvmuli,  migrated,  not  from  Asia,  by 
way  >i  Bhering's  Strait,  but  from  Europe,  east — China,  west — 
and  from  Africa,  south — continents  now  separated,  then  touching 
each  other,  with  islands  innumerable  between,  affording  the  means. 

If  this  supposition,  namely,  that  the  continents  in  the  first  age, 
immediately  after  the  flood,  were  united,  or  closely  connected  by 
groups  of  islands,  is  not  allowed,  how  then,  it  might  be  inquired, 
«ame  every  island,  yet  discovered,  of  any  size,  having  the  natural 
means  of  human  subsistence,  in  either  of  the  seas,  to  be  found  in- 
habited. 

la  the  very  way  this  can  be  answered,  the  question  relative  to 
the  means  by  which  South  America  was  first  peopled,  can  also  be 
•nsv/ered,  namely ;  the  continents,  as  intimated  on  the  first  pages 
of  this  work,  as  quoted  from  Dr.  Clarke,  were,  at  first,  th^t  is,  im- 
mediately after  the  flood,  till  the  division  of  the  earth,  in  the  days 
of  Peleg,  connected  together,  so  thtit  mankind,  with  all  kinds  of 
animals  might  pass  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  suited  to  their  na- 
tures. If  such  were  not  the  fact,  it  might  be  inqnired,  how  then, 
did  the  several  kinds  of  animals  get  to  every  part  of  the  earth  from 
the  Ark.  They  could  not,  as  man,  make  use  of  the  boat,  or  ves- 
sel, nor  could  they  swim  such  distances. 

From  Dr.  Clarke's  Travel's,  it  appears,  ancient  works  exist  to 
this  day,  it.  some  parts  of  Asia,  similar  to  those  of  North  America. 
His  description  of  them,  reads  as  though  he  were  contemplating 
some  of  these  western  mounds.  The  Russians  call  these  sepul- 
chres logrif  and  vast  numbers  of  them  have  been  discovered  in  Si- 
beria and  the  deserts  bordering  on  the  empire  to  the  South.  His- 
torians mention  these  tumuli,  with  many  particulars.  In  them  were 
found  vessels,  ornaments,  trinkets,  medals,  arrows,  and  other  arti- 
cles •,  some  of  copper,  and  even  gold  and  silver,  mingled  with  the 
Mhes  and  remains  of  dead  bodies. 

When,  and  by  whom,  these  burying  places  of  Siberia  and  Tar- 
ttry,  more  ancient  than  the  Tartars  themselves,  were  used,  is  ex- 


I 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST.  fli 

ceedingly  interestiog*  The  situatiou,  construction,  appearance,  and 
general  contents  of  these  Asiatic  tumuli,  and  the  American  mounds, 
Att'^  h'^v/ever,  so  nearly  alike,  that  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in 
^iscribing  them  to  the  same  races,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and 
America  ;  and  also  to  the  same  ages  of  time,  or  nearly  so,  which 
we  suppose  was  very  soon  after  the  flood ;  a  knowledge  of  mound 
bu'Iding  was  then  among  men,  as  we  see  in  the  auihors  of  Babel. 

"  The  Triune  Cup,  (see  plate — letter  E.)  deposited  in  one  of 
the  museums  et  Cincinnati,  affords  some  probable  evidence,  that  a 
part  at  least,  of  the  great  mass  of  human  population,  once  inhabit- 
ing in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  were  of  Hindo  origin.  It  is 
an  earthen  vessel,  perfectly  rouad,  and  will  hold  a  quart,  having 
three  distinct  faces,  or  heads,  joined  together  at  the  back  part  of 
each,  by  a  handle. 

The  faces  of  these  figures  strongly  resemble  the  Hindoo  couttt«f- 
nance,  which  is  here  well  executed.  Now,  it  is  well  known,  that 
in  the  mythology  of  India,  three  chief  gods  constitute  the  acknow- 
ledged belief  of  that  people,  named  Brahma,  Vishnoo,  and  Siva  ; 
May  not  this  cup  be  a  symbolical  representation  of  that  belief,  and 
may  it  not  have  been  used  for  some  sacred  purpose,  here,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  this  country,  as  in  Asia,  the  mounds  are  seen  at  the  junction 
of  many  of  the  rivers,  as  along  the  Mississippi,  on  the  most  eligible 
positions  for  towns,  and  in  the  richest  lauds  ;  and  the  day  may  have 
been,  when  those  great  rivers,  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  the  Illi- 
nois, and  the  Muskingum,  beheld  along  their  sacred  banks,  count- 
less devotees  assembled  fovreligious  rites,  sue!?,  as  now  crowd  in  su- 
perstitious ceremonies,  the  devoted  and  consecrated  borders  of  the 
Indus,  the  Ganges,  and  thb  Bnrrampooter,  rivers  of  the  Indies. 

Mounds  in  the  west  are  very  numerous,  amounting  to  several 
thousands,  none  less  than  ten  feet  high,  and  some  over  one  hun- 
dred. One  opposite  St.  Louis  measures  eight  hundred  yards  in 
circumference  at  its  base,  which  is  fifty  rods.  is*s^?4'  >  ,-&  rvr 

Sometimes  they  stand  in  groups,  and  with  their  circular  shapes, 
at  a  distance,  look  like  enormous  hay  stacks,  scattered  through  a 
meadow.  From  their  great  number,  and  occasional  stupendous 
size,  years,  and  the  labours  of  tens  of  thousands,  must  have  been 
required  to  finish  them. 


•^ 


^~rT4fw,-r:*'7vr"T'' 


U 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


).>>,  Were  it  not,  indeed,  for  their  contents,  and  design  manifested  in 
their  erection,  they  would  hardly  be  looked  upon  as  the  wo.k  of 
human  bands.    In  this  view,  the\      ike  the  traveller  with  the  same 
astonishment  as  would  be  felt  while  beholding  those  oldest  monu- 
ments of  wordly  art  and  industry,  the  Egyptian  pyramids,  and  like 
them,  the  mounds  have  their  origin  in  the  dark  night  of  time  beyond 
even  the  history  of  Egypt  itself.       ;•.      ;,  '  rr  >  r  «s'  .<•.    '.  ^cr^,.  .s- 
\v  Whether  or  not  these  mounds  were  used  at  some  former  period, 
•I  "  high  places"  for  purposes  of  religion,  or  foriiiiications,  or  for 
national  burying  places,  each  of  which  theories  has  found  advocates, 
one  inference,  however,  amidst  all  the  gloom  v/hich  surround  them, 
remains  certain  :  the  valley  '>f  the  Ohio  was  once  inhabited  by  an 
immense  agricultural  population.       ,w<   ^     .    (•  •  .^ii  Hjitv;-?*;  *,'•«»<* 
We  can  see  their  vast  funeral  vaults,  enter  into  their  graves  and 
look  at  their  dry  bones  ;  but  no  passage  of  history  tells  their  tale  of 
life  ;  no  spirit  comes  forth  from  their  ancient  sepulchres,  to  answer 
the  inquiries  of  the  living. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Backenridge,  in  his  interesting  tra- 
vels through  these  regions,  calculates  that  uo  less  than  five  thousand 
villages  of  this  forgotten  people  existed  ;  and  that  their  largest  city 
was  situated  between  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  not  far  from  the 
junction  of  those  rivers,  near  St.  Louis  In  this  region,  the  mighty 
waters  of  the  Missouri  and  Illinois,  with  their  unnumbered  tribu- 
taries, mingle  with  the  "  father  of  rivers,"  the  Mississippi,*  a  situ- 
ation formed  by  nature,  calculated  to  invite  multitudes  of  men,  from 
the  goodness  of  the  soil,  and  the  facilities  of  water  communica- 
tions. ,       .  .  ,  ., 

The  present  race  who  are  now  fast  peopling  the  unbounded  west, 
are  apprised  of  the  advantages  of  this  region  ;  towns  and  cities  are 
rising,  on  the  very  ground,  where  the  ancient  millions  of  mankind 
had  their  seats  of  empire. 

Ohio  now  contains  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  inhabitants ; 
but  at  that  early  day,  the  same  extent  of  country,  most  probably, 
was  filled  with  a  far  greater  population  than  inhabits  it  at  the  pre- 
sent time. 

Many  of  the  mounds  are  completely  occupied  with  human  ske- 
)<d^p8)  and  millions  of  them  must  have  been  interred  in  these  vast 


«««*W«tfmK£"1     *****      "-  ---  - 


i  !n  the  Indian  lar.gu^c  moftn?  Fatbc*  of  Rivera. 


I 


AND   DISCOVCRICS  IN   THE   WEST.  i§ 

cemeteries,  that  can  be  traced  from  the  Rocky  Mountaioi,  on  the 
west,  to  the  AUeghenies  on  the  east,  and  into  the  province  of  the 
Texas  and  New  Mexico  on  the  south :  revolutions  like  those  Known 
in  the  old  world,  may  have  taken  place  here,  and  armies,  equal  to 
those  of  Cyrus,  of  Alexander  the  Great,  or  of  Tamerlene  the 
powerful,  might  have  flourished  their  trumpets,  (  <  marched  to 
battle,  over  these  extensive  plains,  filled  with  the  probable  des- 
cendants of  that  s9faQ  race  in  Asia,  whom  these  proud  conquerors 
vanquished,  there.        , f;,.  , ;  ^v  ^'•^S-htiif^ 

A  knowledge,  whence  came  the  first  settlers  of  our  vast  quarter 
of  the  globe,  as  far  as  it  can  b^  fairly  ascertained,  must  be  highly 
interesting  to  every  inquisitive  mind.  Several  theories,  differing 
greatly  in  their  principles,  have  been  advanced  by  leading  writers. 
Dr.  Robertson,  with  his  usual  style  of  elegance,  and  manner,  and 
more  than  ordinary  imagination,  has  supposed  there  had  been  a 
bridge,  01  isthmus,  from  South  America  to  Africa,  over  which  the 
progenitors  of  the  American  family  might  have  passed,  and  that  this 
bridge  was  destroyed  by  earthquakes,  or  worn  away  by  the  con- 
tinued action  of  the  Gulf  :^tream. 

St.  Augustinft,  of  the  fourth  century,  gets  over  the  difficulty  of 
stocking  the  islands  with  animals  by  a  shorter  method  than  this.-  - 
He  supposes,  among  other  methods,  that  the  angels  transported  them 
thither.  This  latter  solution,  though  it  solves  the  perplexity  of  t  heir 
passage  to  the  new  world,  and  might  be  perfectly  satisfactory  U  the 
established  creed  of  South  America,  (which  is  that  of  the  Ro  nan 
Catholic)  will  not,  however,  suit  the  incredulity  of  the  present  ige. 


»t .'    .  -  .♦..    J ,    . 


COURSE  OF  THE  TEN  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL. 


There  is  a  strong  resemblance  between  the  northern  and  inde< 
pendent  Tartar,  and  the  tribes  of  the  North  American  Indians,  but 
not  of  the  South  American..  Besides  this  reason,  there  are  others 
for  believing  our  aborigines  of  North  Amt'rica,  were  descended 
from  the  ancient  Scythians,  and  came  to  this  country  from  the 
eastern  part  of  Asia. 


■rw^' 


f^. 


h^ 


'."  AMP.iRiCAN   ANTIQUITIEU 


-■■'». 


This  view  by  no  means  invalidates  the  opinion,  that  many  tribes 
of.  the  Indians  of  North  America,  are  descended  ot  the  laracliHuty 
because  the  Scythians,  under  this  particular  name,  existed  long  be- 
fore that  branch  of  descendants  of  the  family  of  SAem,  called  Is- 
raelites ;  who,  after  they  had  been  carried  away  by  Salmannsse?, 
the  Assyrian  king,  about  700  years  B.  C-,  went  northward  as  stated 
by  Esdras,  (see  his  second  book,  thirteenth  chapter,  from  verse  40 
to  verse  46,  inclusive,^  through  a  part  of  Independent  Tartary. — 
During  this  journey,  which  carried  them  among  the  Tartars,  now  so 
called,  but  were  anciently  the  Scythians,  and  probably  became 
amalgamated  ^vith  them.  This  was  the  more  easily  effected,  on 
account  of  the  agreement  of  complexion,  and  common  origin. 

If  this  may  be  supposed,  we  perceive  at  once,  how  the  North 
American  Indians  are  in  possessi>  n  of  both  Scythian  and  Jewish 
practices.  Their  Scythian  customs  are  as  foll6ws :  "  Scalping  their 
prisoners,  and  torturing  them  to  death.  Some  of  the  Indian  nations 
also  resemble  the  Tartars  in  the  construction  of  their  canoe.s,  imple- 
ments of  war,  and  of  the  chase,  with  the  well  known  habit  of 
marching  in  Indian  file^  and  their  treatment  of  the  aged  ;"  these  are 
Scythian  customs. 

Their  Jewish  customs  are  too  many,  to  be  enumerated  in  this 
work ;  for  a  particular  account,  see  Smith's  View  of  the  Hebrews. 
If,  then,  our  Indians  have  evidently  the  manners,  of  both  the  Scy- 
thian and  the  Jew,  it  proves  them  to  have  been,  anciently,  both 
Israelites  and  Scythians ;  the  latter  being  the  more  ancient  name  of 
the  nations  now  called  Tartars,*  with  whom  the  ten  tribes  may 
have  amalgamated.  That  the  Israelites,  ca'lp^  the  ten  tribes,  who 
were  carried  away  from  Judea  by  Salmanasser,  to  the  land  of  As- 
syria, went  from  that  country,  in  a  northerly  direction,  as  quoted 
from  Esdras,  above,  is  evident,  from  the  Map  of  Asia.  Look  at 
Esdras  again,  43d  verse,  chap.  13,  and  we  shall  perceive,  they 
"  entered  into  the  Euphrates  by  the  narrow  passes  or  heads  of  that 
river,"  which  runs  from  the  north  into  the  Persian  Gulf. 

It  is  not  probable,  that  the  country  ivhich  Esdras  called  Arsarelh, 
could  possibly  be  America,  as  many  have  .supposed,  because  a  vast 
Company,  such  as  the  ten  tribes  were  at  the  time  they  left  Syria, 

*  The  appellation  of  Tartar  was  not  known  till  the  year  A.  D!  1227,  who 
were  at  that  time,  considered  a  new  race  of  barbarians. — Moree. 


Trnrz:'^' "■;■"  "Tf  ■■ 


if 


S»' 


they 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   TUK    WEST. 


67 


(which  was  about  au  hundred  years  after  their  having  beenr  carried 
away  from  Judea,  nearly  3000  years  ago,)  could  not  trave'  fast 
enough  to  peform  the  journey  in  so  short  a  ume  as  a  year  and  a  half. 

We  learn  from  the  map  of  Asia,  that  Syria  was  situated  at  the 
southeasterly  eud  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  that  in  entering 
into  the  narrow  passes  of  the  Euphrates,  asEsdras  says,  would  lead 
them  north  of  Mount  Ararat,  and  south-easterly  of  the  Black  Sea, 
through  Georgia,  over  the  Concassian  mountains,  and  so  on  to  As- 
tracan,  which  lies  north  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  We  may,  with  the 
utmost  show  of  reason,  be  permitted  to  argue  that  this  vast  company 
of  men,  women,  and  their  little  ones,  would  naturally  be  compelled 
to  shape  their  course,  so  as  to  avoid  the  deep  rivers,  which  it  can*- 
not  well  be  supposed,  they  had  the  means  of  crossing,  except  when 
frozen.  Their  course  would  then  be  along  .he  heads  of  the  several 
rivers  running  north  after  they  had  passed  the  country  of  Astra,  an. 
From  thence  over  the  Ural  mountains,  or  that  part  of  that  chain 
running  along  Independent  Tartary.  Then,  after  having  passed 
over  this  mountain  near  the  northern  boundary  of  Independent  Tar* 
tary,  they  would  find  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  little  Altain 
mountains,  which  course  would  lead  them,  if  they  still  wished  to 
avoid  deep  and  rapid  rivers,  running  from  the  little  AUain  mou!i> 
tains  northward,  or  north-westerly,  into  the  Northern  Ocean,  across 
the  immense  and  frozen  regions  of  Siberia.  The  uames  of  those 
rivers  beginning  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Ural  mountains,  are 
first,  the  river  Obi,  with  its  many  heads,  or  little  rivers,  forming 
at  length  the  river  Obi,  which  empties  into  the  Northern  Ocean,  at 
the  gulf  of  Obi,  in  latitude  of  about  67  degs.  north. 

The  second,  is  the  river  Yenisei,  with  its  many  heads,  having 
their  sources  in  the  same  chain  of  mountains,  and  runs  into  the 
same  ocean,  further  north,  towards  Bheriug's  Straits,  which  is  th« 
point  we  are  approximating,  by  pursuing  this  course. 

A  third  river  with  its  many  heads,  that  rise  at  the  base  of  another  > 
chain  of  mountains,  called  the  Yablonoy ;  this  is  the  river  Lena. 

There  are  several  other  livers,  arising  out  of  another  chain  of 
mountains,  farther  on  northward  towards  Bhering's  Straits,  which 
have  no  name  on  the  map  of  Asia ;  this  range  of  mountains  is  called 
the  St.  Anovoya  mountains,  and  comes  to  a  point  or  end.  at  the 


8 


■3W 


"T"' .'■'!!'• 


B8 


AMERICAN  A!<TIQUIT!BS 


Srait  which  separates  Asia  from  America,  which  is  but  a  small  dis- 
tance across,  of  about  forty  miles  only,  and  several  islands  between- 
■  Allowing  the  ten  tribes,  or  if  they  may  have  become  amalgama- 
ted with  the  Tartars)  as  they  passed  on  this  tremendous  ioumey, 
toward  the  Northern  Ocean,  to  have  pursued  this  course,  the  dis- 
tance will  appear  from  Syria  to  the  Straits,  to  be  some  hundreds 
over  six  thousand  miles.  Six  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles,  which  is  the  distance,  is  more  by  nearly  one-half,  than  such 
»  vast  body,  in  moving  on  together,  could  possibly  perform  in  a  year 
and  a  half.  Six  miles  a  day  would  be  as  great  a  distance,  as  such 
an  host  could  perform,  where  there  is  no  way  but  that  of  forests  un- 
traced  by  man,  and  obstructed  by  swamps,  mountains,  fallen  trees, 
and  thousands  of  nameless  himlrances.  Food  must  be  had,  and  the 
only  way  of  procuring  it,  must  have  been  by  hunting  with  the  bow 
and  arrow,  and  by  fishing  The  sick  must  not  be  forsaken,  the  aged 
and  the  infant  must  be  cherished  ;  all  these  things  would  delay,  so 
that  a  rapid  progress  cannot  be  admitted. 

If,  then,  six  miles  a  day  is  a  reasonable  distance  to  suppose  they 
may  have  progressed,  it  follows  that  nearly  three  years,  instead  of  a 
year  and  a  half,  would  not  have  been  more  than  sufficient  to  carry 
them  from  Syria  to  Bhering's  Straits,  through  a  region  almost  of 
eternal  snow.         ■'•"'*  -c*"  .•p-w-.t*  ;-";-,-^«  ,».  .-^.  ..   „>_  n-.-^. 

This,  therefore,  cannot  have  been  the  course  of  the  Ten  Tithes ^  to 
the  land  of  Arsareth,  wherever  it  was :  and  that  it  was  north  from 
Syria,  we  ascertain  by  Esdras,  who  says  they  went  into  the  narrow 
passes  of  the  Euphrates,  which  means  its  three  heads,  or  branches, 
which  arise  north  from  Syria.  From  the  head  waters  of  this  river, 
there  is  no  way  to  pass  on,  but  to  go  between  the  Black  and  Cas- 
pian Seas,  over  the  Concasian  mountains,  as  before  stated.        "*" 

From  this  point  they  may  have  gone  on  to  what  is  now  called  As- 
tracaiif  as  before  rehearsed  ;  but  here  we  suppose  they  may  have 
taken  a  west  instead  of  a  north  direction,  which  would  have  been 
toward  that  part  of  Russia,  which  is  now  called  Russia  in  Europe, 
and  would  have  led  them  on  between  the  rivers  Don  and  Volga  ; 
the  Don  emptying  into  the  Black  Sea,  and  the  Volga  into  the  Cas- 
pian. -^-'^w'-^-V"    -v-Vii-f*'    "'■'       '■■'■■     "'    !■      ■     ■    ■  ---''■ 

This  course  would  have  led  them  exactly  to  the  places  where 
Moscow  and  Petersburgh  now  stand,  and  from  thence  in  a  north- 
westerly direc- 'M',  along  the  south  end  of  the  White  Sea,  to  Lap- 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


landj  Nonoayy  and  SujedeUy  which  lie  along  on  the  coast  of  the  North 
Atlantic  Ocean. 

Now,  the  distance  from  Syria  to  Lapland,  Norway,  and  Sweden, 
on  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic,  is  scarcely  three  thousand  miles,  a  dis* 
tance  which  may  have  easily  been  travelled  in  a  year  and  a  half, 
at  six  miles  a  day,  and  the  same  opportunity  have  been  afforded  for 
their  amalgamation  with  Scythians  or  Tartars,  as  in  the  other  course 
towards  Bhering^s  Stxait.  Norway,  Sweden,  and  Lapland,  may 
have  been  the  land  of  Arsareth. 

But  here  arises  a  question  ;  how  then  did  they  get  into  America 
from  Lapland  and  Norway  ?  The  only  answer  is,  America  and 
Europe  must  have  been  at  that  time  united  by  land.    » >*- orvsr  ^nn 

"  The  manner  by  which  the  original  inhabitants  and  aniinals 
reached  here,  is  easily  explained,  by  adopting  the  supposition,  which 
doubtless,  is  tbe  most  correct,  that  the  northwestern  and  western 
limits  of  America  were,  at  some  former  period,  united  to  Asia  on 
the  west,  and  to  Europe  on  the  east.  •  .  ■'i'Ti      r'.nfr 

This  was  partly  the  opinion  of  Buifon  and  other  great  naturalists. 
That  connection  has,  therefore,  been  destroyed,  among  other  great 
changes  this  earth  has  evidently  experienced  since  the  flood. 

We  have  examples  of  these  revolutions  before  our  eyes.  Florida 
has  gained  leagues  of  land  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  part  of 
Louisiana,  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  has  been  formed  by  the  mud 
of  rivers.  Since  the  Falls  of  Niagara  were  first  discovered,  they 
have  receded  very  considerably ;  and,  it  is  conjectured,  that  this 
sublimest  of  nature's  curiosities,  waa  situated  originally  where 
Queenstown  now  stands. 

Sicily  was  united  formerly  to  the  Continent  of  Europe,  and  an- 
cient authors  affirm  that  the  Straits  of  Gibralter,  which  divide  be- 
tween Europe  and  Africa,  were  formed  by  a  violent  irruption  of 
the  ocean  upon  the  land.  Ceylon,  where  our  missionaries  have  an 
establishment,  has  lost  forty  leagues  by  the  sea,  which  is  an  hundred 
and  twenty  miles." 

Many  such  instances  occur  in  history.  Pliny  tells  us  that  in  his 
own  time,  the  mountain  Cymbotus,  vnth  the  town  of  Eurites,  which 
stood  on  its  side,  were  totally  swallowed  up.  He  records  the  like 
of  the  city  Tantelis  in  Magnesia,  and  of  the  mountain  Sopelus, 
both  absorbed  by  a  violent  opening  of  the  earth,  so  that  no  trace  of 
either  remained.    Galanis  and  Garnatus,  towns  once  famous  in 


60 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


Pbconicia,  arc  recorded  to  have  met  the  same  fate.  The  vaat  prom- 
ontory, called  Phlegium,  in  Ethiopia,  after  a  violent  earthquake 
in  the  night,  was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  morning,  the  earth  having 
swallowed  it  up  and  close  over  it.^  *  ht  irrts^JA  \4t'r>  "it.v 
.  Like  instances  we  have  of  later  date.  The  mountain  Picus,  in 
one  of  the  Moluccas,  was  so  high,  that  it  appeared  at  a  vast  dis- 
tance, and  served  as  a  landmark  to  sailors.  But  during  an  earth- 
quake in  the  isle,  the  mountain  in  an  instant  sunk  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth  ;  and  no  token  of  it  remained,  but  a  lake  of  water.-— 
The  like  happened  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  China,  in  1556  : — 
when  a  whole  province,  with  all  its  towns,  cities,  end  inhabitants, 
was  absorbed  in  a  moment ;  an  immense  lake  of  water  remaining 
in  its  place,  even  to  this  day. 

In  the  year  1646,  during  the  terrible  earthquake  in  the  kingdom 
of  Chili,  several  whole  mountains  of  the  Andes,  one  after  another, 
were  wholly  absorbed  in  the  earth.  Probably  many  lakes,  over  the 
whole  earth  have  been  occasioned  in  this  way.  hf^  1st'--''  -.'■■ 

The  greatest  earthquake  we  find  in  antiquity,  is  that  mentioned 
by  Pliny,  in  which  twelve  cities  in  Asia  Minor  were  swallowed  up 
in  one  night.  But  one  of  those  most  particularly  described  in  his- 
tory, is  that  of  the  year  1693.  It  extended  to  a  circumference  of 
two  thousand  six  hundred  leagues,  chiefly  affecting  the  sea  coasts 
and  great  rivers.  Its  motions  weve  so  rapid,  that  those  who  lay  at 
their  length  were  tossed  from  side  to  side  as  upon  a  rolling  billow. 
The  walls  were  dashed  from  their  foundations,  and  no  less  than 
fifty-fuur  cities,  with  an  incredible  number  of  villages,  were  either 
destroyed  or  greatly  damaged.  The  city  of  Catanea,  in  particular, 
was  utterly  overthrown.  A  traveller,  who  was  on  his  way  thither, 
at  the  distance  of  some  miles,  perceived  a  black  cloud  hanging  near 
the  place.  The  sea  all  of  a  sudden  began  to  roar:  Mount  Etna  to 
send  forth  great  spires  of  flames ;  and  soon  after  a  shock  ensued, 
with  a  noise  as  if  all  the  artillery  in  the  world  had  been  at  once 
discharged.  Our  traveller  being  obliged  to  alight  instantly,  felt 
himself  raised  a  foot  from  the  ground,  and  turning  his  eyes  to  the 
city,  saw  nothing  but  a  thick  cloud  of  dust  in  the  air.  Although 
the  shock  did  not  continue  above  three  minutes,  yet  near  nineteen 
thousand  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sicily  perished  in  the  ruins. 

We  have  said  above,  that  Norway,  Lapland,  and  Sweden,  may 
btve  been  the  very  land  called  the  land  of  Arsareth,  by  Esdras,  in  his 


-S^S*T-'?f 


^\T*^~ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST.  At 

second  book,  chapter  13,  who  may,  with  the  utmost  ccrtaiaty,  ba 
supposed  to  know  the  very  course  and  place  where  these  Tea 
Tribes  went  to,  being  himself  a  Jew  and  an  historian,  wlio  at  the 
present  day  is  quott  .1  by  the  first  authors  of  the  age.       .  '.. .  *is.i^ 

We  have  also  said  it  should  be  considered  impotsible  for  the  Ten 
Tribes,  after  having  left  the  place  of  their  captivity,  at  the  east  end 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  which  was  the  Syrian  country,  for  them 
to  have  gone  in  a  year  and  a  half  to  Bhering^s  Strait,  through  tho 
frozen  wilderness  of  Siberia. 

In  going  away  from  Syria,  they  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  had 
any  place  in  viewj  only  they  had  conferred  among  themselves  that^ 
as  Esdras  says,  "  that  they  would  leave  the  multitude  of  the  hea- 
then, and  go  forth  into  a  country  where  never  mankind  dwelt  ;" 
which  Esdras  called  the  land  of  Arsareth. 

Now,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  a  land,  or  country,  where  no  m\n 
dwelt  could  have  a  name,  especially  in  that  early  age  of  the  world, 
which  was  about  seven  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era  but 
on  that  very  account  we  may  suppose  the  word  Araarelh,  to  be  de- 
scriptive only  of  a  vast  wilderness  country,  where  no  man  dwelt) 
and  is  probably  a  Persian  word  of  that  signification,  for  Syrip  was 
embraced  within  the  Persian  empire ;  the  Israelites  may  h  ivo,  ia 
part,  lost  their  original  language,  having  been  there  in  a  state  of 
captivity  for  more  than  an  hundred  years  before  they  left  that 
country.  ..  ,^^,,i.,,      ,,  „       .,.^^: 

Esdras  says  that  Arsareth  was  a  land  where  no  man  dwelt ;  this 
statement  is  somewhat  corroborated  by  the  fact  that  the  country 
which  we  have  supposed  was  Arsareth,  namely  Norway,  &c.,  was 
anciently  unknown  to  mankind.  On  this  point,  see  Morse's  Geo- 
graphy, 2d  volume,  page  28  :  "  Norway  ;  a  region  almost  as  un- 
known to  the  ancients  as  was  America.^*  '  ".  ^  ;  ;  .i:;'..c.:i. 
Its  almost  insular  situation  ;  having  on  t\:  wpst  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  on  the  south  end  the  North  Sea,  and  i  •.  ,.;e  east  the  Baltic 
and  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia — these  waters  almost  surrounding  it ;  there 
being  a  narrow  connexion  of  land  with  the  European  continent  only 
on  the  north,  between  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  and  the  White  Sea, 
which  is  Lapland,  and  was  a  reason  quite  sufficient  why  the  an- 
cients should  have  had  no  knowledge  of  that  region  of  country  which 
we  have  supposed  to  have  been  the  country  called  by  Esdras,  the 
land  of  Arsareth. 


&i' 


.# 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


•*f-^ 


Naturalists,  as  before  remarked,  hare  supposed  that  America  was 
at  some  remote  period  before  the  Christian  era,  united  to  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe  ;  and  that  some  convulsion  in  nature,  such  as 
earthquakes,  volcanoes,  or  the  eruptions  of  the  ocean,  has  shaken 
and  overwhelmed  a  whole  region  of  earth,  lying  between-  Norway 
and  Baffin's  Bay,  of  which  Greenland  and  Iceland,  with  many 
other  islands,  are  the  remains. 

But  suppose  the  American  and  European  continents,  700  yean 
before  the  Christian  era  were  tmI  united  ;  how  then  did  such  part 
of  the  Ten  Tribes,  as  may  have  wandered  to  that  region  from  Sy- 
ria, get  into  America  from  Norway  ?  The  answer  is  easy  :  They 
may  have  crossed  over,  from  island  to  island,  in  vessels  or  boats, 
for  a  knowledge  of  navigation,  and  thr.t  of  the  ocean  too,  was  known 
to  the  Ten  Tribes  ;  for  all  the  Jews  and  civilized  nations  of  that- 
ftge,  were  acquainted  with  this  art,  derived  from  the  Egyptains. 

But  it  may  be  said,  there  are  no  traces  that  Jews  were  ever  re- 
sidents of  Norway,  Lapland,  or  Scandinavia.  From  the  particular 
shape  of  Norway,  being  surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the  sea,  except 
between  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  and  the  White  Sea,  we  perceive  that . 
the  first  people,  whoever  they  were,  must  have  approached  it  by 
the  narrow  pass  between  those  two  bodies  of  water,  of  only  about 
forty-five  miles  in  width,  if  they  would  go  there  by  land. 

Consequently  the  place  now  designated  by  the  name  of  Lapland, 
which  is  the  northern  end  of  Norway,  was  first  peopled  before  the 
more  southern  parts.  An  inquiry,  therefore,  whether  the  ancient 
people  of  Lapland  had  any  customs  like  those  of  the  ancient  Jews, 
would  be  pertinent  to  our  hypothesis  respecting  the  route  of  the 
Ten  Tribes,  as  spoken  of  by  Esdras.  Morse,  the  geographer,  says 
that  of  the  original  population  of  Lapland  very  little  is  known  with 
certainty.  Some  writers  have  supposed  them  to  be  a  colony  of 
Fins  from  Russia ;  others  have  thought  that  they  bore  a  stronger 
resemblance  to  the  Setnoeids  ot  Asia.  Their  language,  however,  is 
said  by  T^eems,  to  have  less  similitude  to  the  Finnish,  than  the 
Danish  to  the  German  ;  and  to  be  totally  unlike  ang  of  the  dialects 
of  the  Teutonic,  or  ancestors  of  the  ancient  Germans ;  but  accord- 
ing to  Leems,  as  quoted  by  Morse,  in  their  language  are  found  ma- 
ny Hebrew  words,  also  Greek  and  Latin.        "'""■    "    •  *"  "  ''   "  *' ^ 

Hebrew  worf^",  are  found  among  the  American  Indians  in  consi- 


.:i^- 


\  '■ 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST.  |p 

derable  variety.  But  how  came  Greek  and  Latin  words  to  be  in 
the  composition  of  the  Laponic  language .'  ,„  „  j<,^   J}^^:. 

This  is  easily  answered,  if  we  supposed  them  to  be  derived  from 
the  Ten  Tribes ;  as  at  the  time  they  left  Syria,  the  Greek  and  La- 
tin were  languages  spoken  every  where  in  that  rc^non,  as  well  as 
the  Syrian  and  Chaldean.  And  on  this  very  account  it  is  likely 
the  Ten  Tribes  had,  in  part,  lest  their  ancient  languag*"!,  as  it  wa» 
spoken  at  Jerusalem,  when  Salmanasser  carried  them  away.  So 
that  by  the  time  they  left  Syria,  and  the  region  thereabouts^  to  go 
to  Arsareth,  their  language  had  become,  from  this  sort  of  mix^nrey 
an  entire  new  language,  as  they  had  been  enslaved  about  an  hun- 
dred years. 

So  that  allowing  the  ancient  Laplanders  derived  their  tongue 
from  a  part  of  these  Ten  wandering  Tribes,  it  well  might  be  said 
by  Leems,  as  quoted  by  Morse,  that  the  language  of  Lapland,  com- 
monly called  the  Laponic,  had  no  words  in  common  with  the  QoHxic 
or  Teutonic,  except  a  few  Norwegian  words,  evidently  foreign,  and 
unassociated  with  any  of  the  languages  of  Asia  or  Europe  ;  these 
being  of  the  Teutonic  or  German  origin,  which  goes  back  to  within 
five  hundred  years  of  the  flood,  several  centuries  before  the  Ten 
Tribes  were  carried  away  by  Salmanasser.     >      V    >  -^ .  » ,i^  <*,<■  ,u 

This  view  would  seem  to  favor  our  hypothesis.  We  shall  HOW 
show  a  few  particulars  respecting  their  religious  notions,  which 
seem  to  have,  in  some  respects,  a  resemblance  to  those  of  the  Jews. 

Their  deities  were  of  four  kinds.  First :  Super-celestial,  named 
as  follow :  Radien,  Atzihe,  and  Kiedde,  the  Creator.  Radien 
and  Atzihe,  they  considered  the  fountain  of  power,  and  Kiedde  or 
Radien  Kiedde,  the  son  or  Creator  ;  these  were  their  Supreme  godS) 
and  would  seem  to  be  bor'-owed  frob*  the  Jewish  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity.  :.    ; ,  ■<:  ....-^  j^^iiaiy 

Second:  Celestial  Deities,  called, Beiwe,  the  sun,  or  as  other  an- 
cient nations  had  it,  Apollo,  which  is  the  same,  and  Ailekies,  to 
whom  Saturday  was  consecrated.  May  not  these  two  powers  be 
considered  as  the  shadows  of  the  different  orders  of  angels  as  held 
by  the  Jews.      :_.*"  '--j,,-..    ,.■>■•    .        :■  k'^m^i  tWSl&. 

Third  :  Sub-celestial,  or  in  the  air,  and  on  the  earth :  Moderak' 
ka,  or  the  Lapland  Lucina ;  Saderakka,  or  Venus,  to  whom  Fri- 
day was  holy*;  and  Juks  Akka,  or  the  Nurse.     These  are  of  hea- 


>4 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


then  origin,  derived  from  the  nations  among  whom  they  had  been 
slaves  and  wanderers. 

Fourth  :  Subterranean  Deities,  as  Saiwo  and  Saiwo-Olmak,  god» 
of  the  mountains ;  Saiwo-Guelle,  or  their  Mercury,  who  conducted 
the  shades,  or  wicked  souls,  to  the  lower  regions. 

This  idea  would  seem  to  be  equivalent  with  the  doctrine  found 
in  hoth  the  Jetoish  and  Christian  religions,  namely,  that  Satan  con- 
ducts or  receives  the  souls  of  the  wicked  to  his  hell. 

They  have  another  deity,  belonging  to  the  fourth  order,  and 
him  they  call  Jaime-Akko,  or  he  who  occupied  their  Elisium ;  in 
•wlrich  the  soul  was  furnished  with  a  new  body,  and  nobler  privile- 
ges and  powers,  and  entitled,  at  some  future  day,  to  enjoy  the  right 
of  Radien,  the  fountain  of  power,  and  to  dwell  with  him  for  ever 
in  the  mansions  of  bliss. 

This  last  sentiment  is  certainly  equivalent  to  the  Jewish  idea  of 
heaven  and  eternal  happiness  in  Abraham's  bosom.  It  also,  un- 
der the  idea  of  a  new  body,  shows  a  relation  to  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  doctrine  of  the  resunection  of  the  body  at  the  last  day  ; 
is  indeed  wonderful. 

Fifth  :  An  Infernal  Deity,  called  Rota,  who  occupied  and  reign*- 
ed  in  Rota-Abimo,  or  the  infernal  regions ;  the  occupants  of  which 
had  no  hopes  of  an  escape.  He,  together  with  his  subordinates, 
Fudno,  Mubber,  and  Paha-Engel,  were  all  considered  as  evil  dis- 
posed towards  mankind.  .' '  i 

This  is  too  plain  not  to  be  applied  to  the  Bible  doctrine  of  one 
supreme  devil  an'l  his  angels,  who  are,  sure  enough,  evil  disposed 
towards  mankind. 

Added  to  all  this,  the  Laplanders  were  found  in  the  prtrctice  of 
sacrificing  to  all  their  deities,  the  reindeer,  the  sheep,  and  some- 
times the  seal,  pouring  libations  of  milk,  whey,  and  brandy,  with 
offerings  of  cheese,  &c.  4.     '  ,,.....      ... 

This  last  item  of  their  religious  manners,  is  too  striking  not  to 
claim  its  dcvation  from  the  ancient  Jewish  worship.  The  Lap- 
landers are  a  people  but  few  in  number,  not  much  exceeding  twelve 
hundred  families ;  which  we  imagine  is  a  circumstance  favoring 
our  idea,  that  after  they  had  remained  a  while  in  Arsareth,  or  Lap- 
land and  Norway,  which  is  much  the  same  thing,  thai  their  main 
body  may  have  passed  over  into  America,  either  in  boats,  from  isl- 
and to  island  ;  or,  if  there  then  was,  as  is  supposed,  an  isthmus  of 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE.  WEST. 


68 


un- 


land,  connecting  the  t^ontinents,  they  passed  over  on  that,  leaving 
as  is  natural,. in  case  of  such  a  migration,  some  individuals  or  fami- 
lies behind,  who  mtght  not  wish  to  accompany  them,  from  whom, 
the  present  race  of  Laplanders  may  be  derived.  Their  dress  is 
much  the  same  with  that  of  our  Indians ;  their  complexion  is  swar- 
thy, hair  black,  large  heads,  high  chedk  bones,  with  wide  mouths ; 
all  of  which  is  strikingly  national.  The  call  themselves  Samef 
their  speech  Same-gielj  and  their  country  Same-Edna.  This  lut 
word  sounds  very  much  like  the  word  Eden^  and  may  be,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  the  name  of  their  country,  borrowed  from  the  name  of  the 
region  where  Adam  was  created. 

When  men  emigrate  from  one  region  of  the  earth  to  another, 
which  is  very  distant,  and  especially  if  the  country  to  wuich  they 
emigrate  is  a  new  one,  or  in  a  state  of  nature,  it  is  perfectly  natural, 
to  give  it  the  same  name  or  names  which  distinguished  the  country 
and  its  parts,  from  which  they  emigrated.  .>ii..>      .  n 

Edessaj  was  the  name  of  an  ancient  city  of  Mesopotamia,  whicb 
was  situated  in  the  country,  or  land  of  Assyria,  between  the  rivers 
Euphrates  and  Tigris.  In  this  region  the  Ten  Tribes  were  held 
in  bondage,  who  had  been  carried  away  by  Salmanasser,  the  Assy- 
rian monarch.  We  are,  therefore,  the  more  confirmed  in  this  conjec- 
ture, from  the  similarity  existing  between  the  two  names  Edna  and 
Edessoy  both  derived,  it  is  likely,  from  the  more  ancient  word  Eden^ 
which,  from  common  consent,  had  its  situation,  before  the  deluge, 
not  far  from  this  same  region,  where  Turkey  is  now,  between  the 
Mediterranean,  Black  Sea,  Caspian  Sea,  and  the  Persian  Gulf,  as 
before  argued. 

If  such  may  have  been  the  fact,  that  a  part  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
came  pver  to  America,  in  the  way  we  have  supposed,  leaving  the 
cold  regions  of  Arsareth  behind  them,  in  quest  of  a  milder  climate, 
it  would  be  natural  to  look  for  tokens  of  the  presence  of  Jews  of 
some  sort,  along  countries  adjacent  to  the  Atlantic.  In  order  to 
this,  we  shall  here  make  an  extract  from  an  able  work,  written  ex- 
clusively on  the  subject  of  the  Ten  Tribes  having  come  from  Asia 
by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strait,  by  the  Rev.  Ethan  Smith,  Pultney, 
Vt.  who  relates  as  follows  :  "Joseph  Menicl^,  Esq.,  a  highly  rc' 
spectable  character  in  the  church  at  Pittsfield,  gave  the  following 
account :  that  in  1816,  he  was  levelling  some  ground  under  and 

9 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


§ 


H 


;J 


near  an  old  wood  shed,  standing  on  a  place  of  his  situated  on  hukan 

{  He  ploughed  and  conveyed  away  old  chips  and  earth  to  some 
depth.     Alter  the  vrork  was  done,  walking  over  the  place,  he  dis- 
covered, near  where  the  earth  had  been  dug  the  deepest,  a  black 
strap,  as  it  appeared,  about  six  inches  in  length,  and  one  and  an  half 
in  breadth,  and  about  the  thickness  of  a  leather  trace  to  a  harness. 
3#  He  perceived  it  had  at  each  end  a  loop  of  some  hard  substance, 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  it.     He  conveyed  it  to  his 
house,  and  threw  it  into  an  old  tool  box.    He  afterwards  found  it 
thrown  out  of  doors,  and  he  again  conveyed  it  to  the  box.    After 
sometime  he  thought  he  would  examine  it ;  but  in  attempting  to 
cut  it,  found  it  as  hard  as  bone  ;  he  succeeded,  however,  in  getting 
it  open,  and  found  it  was  formed  of  two  pieces  of  thick  raw-hide, 
sewed  and  made  water  tight,  with  the  sinews  of  some  animal ;  and 
sn  the  fold  was  contained  few  folded  pieces  of  parchment.    They 
were  of  a  dark  yellow  hue,  and  contained  some  kind  of  writing. — 
The  neighbors  coming  in  to  see  the  strange  discovery,  tore  one  of 
&e  pieces  to  atoms,  in  the  true  Hun  and  Vandal  style.    The  other 
ihr?e  pieces  Mr.  Merrick  saved,  and  sent  them  to  Cambrdge, — 
where  they  were  examined,  and  discovered  to  have  been  t^ritten 
with  a  pen  in  Hebrew^  plain  and  legible. 

The  writing  (m  the  three  remaining  pieces  of  parchment,  was 
quotations  from  the  OH  Testament.  See  Deut.  vi.  chap,  from  the 
4th  to  the  9th  verse  inclusive — also,  xi.  chap.  18 — ^21,  inclusive — 
and  Exodus,  chap.  xiii.  11 — 16,  inclusive,  to  which  the  reader  can 
irefer,  if  he  has  the  curiosity  to  read  this  most  interesting  discovery. 

These  passages,  as  recited  above,  were  found  in  the  strap  of  raw- 
hide ;  which  unquestionably  had  been  written  on  the  very  pieces 
of  parchment  new  in  the  possession  of  the  Antiquarian  Society,  be- 
fore Israel  left  the  land  of  Syria,  more  than  2,500  years  ago;  but  it  is 
not  likely  the  raw-hide  strap  in  which  they  were  found  enclosed,  had 
^een  made  a  very  great  length  of  time.  This  would  be  unnatural, 
a.^  a  desire  to  look  at  the  sacred  characters,  would  be  very  great, 
although  they  could  not  read  them.  This,  however,  was  done  at 
last,  as  it  appears,  and  buried  with  some  Chief,  on  the  place  where 
it  wus  found,  called  Indkm  Hill 

Dr.  West,  of  Stockbridge,  relates  that  an  old  Indian  informed 
him,  that  his  fathers  in  this  country,  had,  not  long  since,  been  in 


rip>iky:i 


■*, 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE    WEST- 


67 


wa» 


the  posse^skm  of  a  bookj  which  they  had,  for  a  long  time,  carried 
with  them,  but  having  lost  the  knowledge  of  reading  it,  they  bo- 
riedit  with  an  Indian  Chief. — View  of  the  Hebreu}$j  page  223. 

It  had  been  handed  down  from  family  to  family,  or  from  Chief  to 
Chief,  as  a  most  precious  relic,  if  not  as  an  amulet,  charm,  or  talis- 
man, for  it  is  not  to  be  supposed,  that  a  distinct  knowledge  of  what 
was  contained  in  the  strap,  could  have  long  continued  among  them, 
in  their  wandering  conditi  i.,  «m'"\  woods  and  forests. 

^'  It  is  said  by  Calmet,  that  the  above  texts  are  the  very  passages 
of  Scripture,  which  the  Jews  used  to  write  on  the  leaves  of  their 
phylacteries.  These  phylacteries  were  little  rolls  of  parchment, 
whereon  were  written  certain  words  of  the  law,  these  they  wore 
upon  their  forehead,  and  upon  the  wrist  of  the  left  arm." — Smithes 
View  of  the  Hebrews^  page  220. 

This  intimation  of  the  presence  of  the  Israelites  in  America,  is 
too  vuequivocal  to  be  passed  unnoticed ;  and  the  circumstance  of  its 
being  found  so  nerr  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  at  so  vast  a  distance 
from  Bhering's  Straits,  we  are  still  inclined  to  suppose,  that  such  of 
the  Israelites  as  found  their  way  to  the  shores  of  America,  on  the 
coast  o£  the  Atlantic,  may  have  come  from  Lapland,  or  Norway  ;— 
seeing  evident  tokens  exist  of  their  having  once  been  there,  as  we 
have  noticed  some  few  pages  back. 

But  there  is  a  third  supposition  respecting  the  land  of  Arsareth  ; 
which  is,  that  it  is  situated  exactly  east  from  the  region  of  Syria. 
This  is  thought  to  be  the  country  now  known  in  Asia  by  the  appel- 
lation of  Little  Bucharia.  Its  distance  from  Syria  is  something 
more  than  two  thousand  miles  ;  which,  by  Esdras,  might  very  well 
be  said  to  be  a  journey  of  a  year  and  au  half,  through  an  entire  wil- 
derness. 

Bucharia,  the  region  of  couutry  of  which  we  are  about  ♦o  speak, 
as  being  the  ancient  resort  of  a  part  of  the  lost  Teu  '^ricbs,  is  in 
distance  from  England,  3,475  miles;  a  little  southe<?'t  from  the 
latitude  of  London  ;  aad  from  the  State  of  New^-York,  exactly  dou- 
ble that  distance,  6,950  miles,  on  an  air  line,  as  measured  on  an  ar- 
tificial globe,  and  in  nearly  the  same  latitude,  due  east  from  this 
country. 

It  is  not  impossible,  after  all  our  speculation,  u  the  speculations 
of  others,  that,  instead  of  America,  or  of  Norway,  this  same  Bucha- 
ria, is  in  truth,  the  ancient  country  of  Arsareth;  although  in  the 


t 

% 


68 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


couatry  of  old  iVorv  ny,  and  of  America,  are  abundant  evidence  of 
the  presence  of  Jewii  it  some  remote  period,  no  doubt  derived  from 
M:^  stock,  the  Ten  I'ribes. 

If  he  country  of  Bucbaria  is  situated  due  east  from  Syria,  where 
the  Ten  Tribes  were  placed  by  Salmanasser,  as  wd!  w?  ''arllier  ea^t 
on  the  river  Gozen.  ur  Ganges,  of  Hindostan.     T  ii^  distance  is 
about  two  thousand  hve  hundred  miles,  and  at  that  i\a\t^  wm  a  v!4»t 
desert,  lying  beyond  the  settlements  of  men,  in  all  pn^bj^biUty ;  &nd 
in  Older  to  go  there, they  must  also  pass  tiictugh  t>.i;  n^^rrc:-  paste  i 
of  the  river  £uphrate<f,  or  its  head«,  i  ear  th.^  south  ord  of  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  and  then  nc:>f!j  due  e&»^,,  inclining,  however,  a  little  to 
the  north.    Two  circnmfiiyinces  lewi  to  a  supposition  that  this  Bu- 
cbaria is  the  Arsareth  mentioned  by  Ssds^s.     T'?e  first  is,  t.t  ihh 
place  is  ibvsnd  a  great  population  of  tai;  Jews ;  i;^ecimd  ;  the  word, 
Atamtih  ifj  sinillar  to  the  names  of  other  rigicu-iof  that  coui  i./  in 
AiKv    a>;  /brarat  uistracan,  Saznarcand,  Yarkund,  Aracai;,  AlaTau, 
Alttti  ivtra,  .^'^^5  Mtmy  Amu,  Korassan,  Balk,  Bactriana,  Bucbaria, 
AiguiJj  Nfi^nf  iU  i«derab,  Katlan :  (this  word  is  much  like  the  Mex- 
h'.tm  nan  ei  i>f  piat  i&,  as  Aztalan,  Copallan,  and  so  on  ;)  Anderab, 
Aktau,  Atiak.     Njimes  of  countries  and  rivers  might  be  greatly 
riiultipHed.  which  bear  a  strong  affinity,  in  souml  and  formation,  to 
the  word  Arsureth,  which  is  probably  a  Persian  word,  as  well  as 
the  rest  we  have  quoted,  as  from  these  regions,  ancient  Bucbaria, 
i>i»  foundations  of  the  Persian  power  was  derived. 

The  reader  can  choose  between  the  three,  whether  America, 
Norway,  or  Buchanans  the  ancient  country  called  Arsarethy  as  one 
of  the  three  is,  b£yond  a  doubt,  the  place  alluded  to  by  Esdras, 
to  which  the  Ten  Tribes  went ;  and  in  all  three,  the  traits  of  Jews 
are  found. 

In  this  country,  Bucbaria,  many  thousand  Jews  have  been  dis- 
covered^ who  were  not  known  by  the  Christian  nations,  to  have 
existed  at  all  till  recently.  It  would  appear  from  this  circumstance, 
that  the  Ten  Tribes  may  have  divided,  a  part  going  easty  to  the 
country  now  called  Bucbaria ;  and  a  part  v/est,  to  the  country  now 
called  Norway  ;  both  of  which,  at  that  time,  were  the  regi<m  of 
almost  endless  solitudes,  and  about  equal  distances  from  Syria :  and 
from  Bucbaria  to  Bhering's  Strait  is  also  about  <  ><    mme  distance. 

In  process  of  time,  both  from  Bucbaria,  in  A  ind  Norway,  in 
Europe,  the  descendants  from  these  Ten  TriH'  .«^     jay  have  found 


■.^fl^r 


AKD   DISCOTKRiKg  IN  THE  nEST. 


69 


this 


their  way  into  America  Those  from  Norway,  by  the  way  of  is- 
lands, boats  or  continent,  which  may  then  have  existed,  between 
America  and  north  of  Europe ;  and  those  from  Bucharia,  by  the 
way  of  Bhering's  Str^.it,  which  at  that  time,  it  is  likely,  was  no  Strait, 
but  an  isthmus,  if  not  a  country  of  great  extent,  uniting  Asia  with 
America.    The  account  of  the  Bucharian  Jews  is  a»  follows : 

''After  having  seen  some  years  past,  merchants  from  Tiflis,  Per- 
sia, and  Armenia,  among  the  visitors  at  Leipsic,  we  have  had,  for 
the  first  time,  (1826,)  two  traders  form  Bucharia,  toith  shawb,  which 
are  tfiere  manufactured  of  the  finest  wool  of  the  goats  of  Thibet  and 
Cashmere,  by  the  Jewish  families,  u^Ao  form  a  third  part  of  the  pop- 
ulation. In  Bucharia,  (formerly  the  capitol  of  Sogdiana,)  the  Jews 
have  been  very  numerous  ever  since  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and 
are  there  as  remarkable  for  their  industry  and  manufactures,  as  they 
are  in  England  for  their  money  transactions-  It  was  not  till  1826, 
that  the  Russian  government  succeeded  in  extending  its  diplo- 
matic mission  far  into  Bucharia.  The  above  traders  exchanged 
their  shawls  for  coarse  and  fine  woollen  cloths,  of  such  colours  as 
are  most  esteemed  in  the  east." 

Much  interest  has  been  excited  by  the  information  which  this 
paragraph  conveys,  and  which  is  equally  novel  and  important.     In 
none  of  the  geographical  works  which  we  have  consulted,  do  we 
find  the  least  hint  as  to  the  existence  in  Bucharia  of  such  a  body  of 
Jews  as  are  here  mentioned,  amounting  to  one  third  of  the  whole 
population ;  but  as  the  fact  can  no  longer  be  doubted,  the  next  point 
of  inquiry  which  presents  itself  is  ;    whence  have  they  proceeded, 
and  how  have  they  come  to  'establish  themselves  in  a  region  so  re- 
mote  from  their  original  country  ?     This  question,  we  think,  can 
only  be  answered,  by  supposing  that  these  persons  are  the  descend- 
ants of  the  long  lost  Ten  Iribes,  concerning  the  facts  of  which, 
theologians,  historians,  and  antiquarians,  have  been  alike  p  zzled  : 
and  however  wild  this  hypothesis  may  at  first  appear,  there  are  not 
wanting  circumstances  to  render  it  far  from  being  improbable.     In 
the  17th  chapter  of  the  second  book  of  Kings,  it  is  said,"  In  the 
ninth  year  of  Hcshea,  the  king  of  Assyria,  took  Samaria,  and  car- 
ric'A  Tsri':^]  nway  ..to  Assyria,  and  placed  them  in  Helah  and  Haber 
>.    the  river  Go:Hn,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  Modes :"  and  in  the 
subsequent  verse?,  as  well  as  the  writings  of  the  prophets,  it  is  said, 
that  the  Lord  then  "  put  aw-     Israel  out  of  his  sight,  and  carried 


'*\      T^«, 


« 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


them  aw«y  into  the  land  of  Assyria  unto  this  day."    In  the  ApoC', 
rypha,  2d  Esdras,  xiii.,  it  is  said,  that  the  Ten  Tribes  were  carried 
beyond  the  river,  (Euphrates,)  and  so  they  were  brought  into  an- 
other land,  when  they  took  counsel  together,  that  they  would  leave 
the  multitude  of  the  heathen,  and  go  lorth  into  a  further  country, 
where  never  mankind  dwelt ;  that  they  entered  in  at  the  narrow 
passages  of  the  river  Euphrates,  when  the  springs  of  the  flood  were 
stayed,  and  "  went  through  the  country  a  great  journey,  even  a 
year  and  a  half;"  and  it  is  added,  that  "  there  will  they  remain, 
until  the  latter  time,  when  they  will  come  forth  again."    The 
country  beyond  Bucharia  was  unkno^vn  to  the  ancients,  and  it  is, 
we  believe,  generally  admitted,  that  the  river  Gozan,  mentioned  in 
the  book  of  Kings,  is  the  same  as  the  Ganges,  which  has  its  rise  in 
those  very  countries  in  which  the  Jews  reside,  of  which  the  Liep- 
sic  account  speaks.     The  distance  which  these  two  merchants  must 
have  travelled,  cannot  therefore,  be  less  than  three  thousand  miles ; 
and  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  Jew  ,  whom  they  repre- 
sent as  a  third  part  of  the  population  of  the  country,  are  descend- 
ants of  the  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  settled  by  the  river  Gozan. 

The  great  plain  of  Central  Asia,  forming  four  principal  sides,  viz : 
Uttle  Bucharia,  Thibet,  !.«fongolia,  and  Mantebous,  contains  a  sur- 
face of  150,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  20,000,000. 
This  vast  country  is  .still  very  little  known.  The  great  traits  of 
its  gigantic  formation  compose,  for  the  most  part,  all  that  we  are 
certain  of.  It  is  an  immense  plain  of  an  excessive  elevation,  in- 
tersected with  barran  rocks  and  vast  deserts  of  black  and  almost 
moving  sand.  It  is  supported  on  all  sides  by  mountains  of  granite, 
whose  elevated  summits  determine  the  different  climates  of  the 
great  continent  of  Asia,  and  form  the  division  of  its  waijrs.  From 
its  exterior  flow  all  the  great  rivers  of  that  part  of  the  world.  In 
the  interior  are  a  quantity  of  rivers,  having  little  declivity,  or  no  is- 
sue, which  are  lost  in  the  sands,  or  perhaps  feed  stagnant  waters. 
In  the  southern  chains  are  countries,  populous,  rich  and  civilzed  ; 
Little  Bucharia,  Great  and  Little  Thibet.  The  people  of  the  north 
are  shepherds  and  wanderers.  Their  riches  consist  in  their  herds. 
Their  habitations  are  tents,  aad  towns,  and  camps,  which  are  trans- 
ported according  to  the  wants  of  pasturage.  The  Bucbarians  en- 
joy the  right  of  trading  to  all  parts  of  Asia,  and  the  Thibetians 
cultivate  the  earth  to  advantage.    The  ancients  had  only  a  con- 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


71 


fused  ides  of  Central  Asia.  "  The  inhabitanis  of  the  country,"  as 
we  learn  from  a  great  authority,  "  are  in  a  high  state  of  civilization; 
possessing  all  the  useful  manufactures,  and  lofty  houses  built  with 
stone.  The  Chinese  reckon  (but  this  is  evidently  an  exaggera- 
tion) that  Thibet  alone  contains  33,000,000  of  persons.  The  mer- 
chants of  Cashmere,  on  their  way  to  Yarkland  in  Little  Bucharia, 
pass  through  Little  Thibet.  This  country  is  scarcely  known  to 
European  geographers."  TL^:  immense  plain  of  Central  Asia  is 
hemmed  in,  and  almost  inaccessable  by  mountain  ranges  of  th« 
greatest  elevation,  which  surround  it  on  all  sides,  except  China ; 
and  when  the  watchful  jealousy  of  the  government  of  the  Celestial 
Empire,  is  considered,  it  will  scarcely  be  wondered  at.  that  the  vast 
region  in  question  is  so  little  knov.7\. 

Such  is  the  country  which  these  newly  discovered  Jews  are  said 
to  inhabit  in  sueh  numbers.  The  following  facts  may  perhaps  serve 
to  thiow  some  additional  light  on  this  interesting  subject. 

In  the  year  1822,  a  Mr.  Sargon,  who  had  been  appointed 
one  of  the  agents  of  the  London  Society,  communicated  to  Eng- 
land some  interesting  accounts  of  a  number  of  persons  resident  at 
Bombay,  Cinnamore,  and  their  vicinity,  who  are  evidenily  the  des- 
cendants of  Jews,  calling  themselves  Beni  Israel,  and  bearing  al- 
most uniformly  Jewish  names,  but  with  Persian  terminations. 
This  gentleman,  feeling  very  desirous  of  obtaining  all  possii  ie 
knowledge  of  their  condition,  undertook  a  mission  for  this  purpose, 
to  Cinnamore ;  and  the  result  of  his  inquiries  was  a  conviction  that 
they  were  not  Jews  of  the  one  tribe  and  a  half,  being  of  a  different 
race  to  the  white  and  black  Jews  at  Cochin,  and  consequently  that 
they  were  a  remnant  of  the  long  lost  Ten  Tribes.  This  gentle- 
man also  concluded,  from  the  information  he  obtained  respecting 
the  Beni  Israel,  or  sons  of  Israel,  that  they  existed  in  great  numbers 
in  the  countries  between  Cochin  and  Bombay,  the  north  of  PersiOf 
among  the  hordes  of  Tartary,  and  in  Cashmere;  the  very  countries 
in  which,  according  to  the  paragraph  in  the  German  paper,  thev  ::: 
ist  in  such  numbers.  So  far  then,  these  accounts  confirm  each  oti..;i, 
and  there  is  every  probability  that  the  Beni  Israel,  resident  on  the 
west  of  the  Indian  peninsula,  had  originally  proceeded  from  Bu~ 
charia.  It  will,  therefore,  be  interesting  to  know  something  of 
their  moral  and  religious  character.  The  following  particulars  are 
collec'^j  from  Mr.  Sargon's  accounts:    1.   In  dress  and  manners 


""^r 


w 


AMERICAN   iNTiqUITlfil 


they  reiemble  the  natives  no  as  not  to  be  distinguished  frcm  theni) 
except  by  attentive  observation  and  inquiry.  3.  They  have  He- 
brew names  of  the  same  kind,  and  with  the  same  local  termination 
at  the  Sepoys  in  the  ninth  regiment  Bombay  native  infantry.  3. 
Some  of  them  read  Hebrew,  and  they  have  a  faint  tradition  of  the 
cause  of  thei'  ti  -.^ .  a'  -i  !ks  from  Egypt.  4.  Their  common  lan- 
guage is  J.  llinf*'  o-  They  keep  idols  and  worship  them,  and 
use  idolnirous  ceremonies  intermixed  with  Hebrew.  6.  They  cir- 
cumcise their  children.  7.  They  observe  the  Kipper,  or  great  ex- 
piation day  of  the  Hebrews,  but  not  the  Sabbath,  or  any  of  the 
feast  or  fast  days.  8.  They  '•«"  ♦^"^mselves  Gorah  Jehudij  or 
white  Jews;  and  they  tc^-ii  ui«,  hiack  Jews  CJla  Jehudi.  9.  They 
speak  of  the  Arabian  Jews  as  their  brethren,  but  do  not  acknowl- 
edge the  European  Jews  as  sueh.  They  use,  on  all  occasions,  and 
under  the  most  trivial  circumstances,  the  usual  Jewish  prayer— 
"  Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord."  10.  They  have 
no  cohen,  (priest)  levite,  or  kasi  among  them,  under  those  terms ; 
but  they  have  a  kasi,  (reati.r,)  who  performs 'prayers,  and  con- 
ducts their  religious  ceremonies :  and  they  appear  to  have  elders 
and  a  chief  in  each  community,  who  determine  in  their  religious 
concerns.  11.  They  expect  t'le  Messiah,  and  that  they  will  one 
day  return  to  Jerusalem.  They  think  that  the  time  of  '  <  appear- 
ance will  soon  arrive,  at  which  they  much  rejoice,  believing  that  at 
Jerusalem  they  will  see  their  God,  worship  him  only,  and  be  des- 
pised no  Uiore. 

These  particulars,  we  should  presume,  can  scarcely  fail  to  prove 
interesting,  both  in  a  morel  and  religious,  as  well  as  in  a  geograph- 
ical point  of  view-  The  number  of  the  scattered  membeni  of  the 
tribes  of  Jr  v'ah,  auci  fhe  half  trite  of  BeDJamin,  rather  exceed  than 
fall  short  of  .<ye  millions.  Nu  ,  if  this  number  be  added  to  the 
many  other  millions  to  be  found  in  the  diiferent  countries  of  the 
east,  what  an  >.ii'HJnse  power  would  be  b:  ught  into  action,  were 
the  spirit  of  nailunality  once  rouijed,  or  any  extraordinary  event  to 
occur,  wjj^ich  should  induce  them  k>  unite  in  claimmg  possession  of 
that  land  which  was  givei  to  thcni  for  an  "  heritage  forever,"  and 
to  which,  in  every  othei  •  of  '  le  earth,  their  fondest  hopes  and 

their  dearest  espirations  lu  V'  *  ci     a  to  turn." 

But  although  the  opinion  that  ttie  American  Indians  are  the  de- 
scendants of  the  lost  Ten  Tribes,  is  now  a  popular  one,  and  gene- 


AND  DI8C0VBRIBS  IN  THE   WEST. 


rally  believed,  yet  there  are  »<  '  wlio  totally  discard  this  opinioD. 
And  Amung  such  as  chief,  is  P  ^sor  Raffiaesque;  whose  opinioDs 
on  the  subject  of  the  flood  « ;  Noah  not  being  universal,  and  of  the 
ark,  we  have  introduced  on  the  first  pages  of  this  work. 

This  gentleman  is  decidedly,  we  may  say  severely,  opposed  to 
this  doctrine,  and  alleges  that  the  Ten  Tribes  were  never  lost,  but 
are  still  in  the  countries  of  the  east  about  the  region  of  ancient  Sy- 
ria, in  Asia.  He  ridicules  ali  those  authors  who  have  attempted 
to  find  in  the  customs  of  the  Indians,  traits  of  the  Jews,  and  stamps 
them  with  being  cgregiously  ignorant  of  the  origin  of  things  pertain- 
ing to  this  subject.  This  is  taking  a  high  stand,  indeed,  and  if  be 
can  maintain  it,  he  has  a  right  to  the  honor  thereof.  Upon  this 
notion,  he  says,  a  new  sect  of  religion  has  arisen,  namely,  the 
Mormanites,  whopretend  to  have  discovered  a  book  with  golden 
leaves,  in  which  is  the  history  of  tlm  American  Jews,  and  their 
leader,  Morman,  who  came  hither  more  than  2,000  years  ago. — 
This  work  is  ridiculous  (  ugh,  it  is  true  ;  as  the  whole  book  of 
Murman,  be«rs  the  stamp  of  folly,  and  i?  a  poor  attempt  at  an  imitft- 
tion  nf  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and  is  without  connection, 
object,  or  aim  ;  shewing  every  where  language  and  phrases  of  too 
late  a  construction,  to  accord  with  the  Asiatic  manner  of  composi- 
tion, which  highly  characterises  tlie  style  of  the  Bibla  ,  -  v '^ 

A-s  t>usons,  this  philosopher  advances  as  follows,  against  iti4 
Am  ican  nations  being  descended  from  the  Ten  Tribes  of  ancient 
Imael  : 

'<  1st.  These  Ten  Tribes  are  not  lost,  as  long  supposed  ;  their 
dt'Hcendauts,  more  or  less  mixed  with  the  nativesy  are  yet  found  in 
M<  a,  Ira%  Taurin,  Cabulistan,  Hindostan,  and  China,  where  late 
tra  oilers  have  traced  them,  calling  themselves  by  various  names. 

2d.  The  American  nations  knew  not  the  Sabbath,  nor  yet  the 
Sabbattical  weeks  and  years  of  the  Jews.  This  knowledge  could 
never  have  been  lost  by  the  Hebrews.  The  only  weeks  known  in 
America,  wefc  of  three  days,  five  days,  and  half  lunation.'?,  (or  half 
a  moon  ;)  as  among  the  primitive  nations,  before  tb«  week  of  se- 
ven days  was  used  in  Asia,  which  was  based  upon  the  8«ven  planets, 
long  before  the  laws  of  Moses." 

Here  is  another  nj  nifest  attempt  of  this  philosopher,  Raffinesque, 
to  invalidate  the  Scriptures,  in  attempting  to  fix,  as  the  origin  of  the 
ancient  Jewish,  ao^  present  Christian  Sabbath,  on  the  observance 

10 


AMERICAN   ArtTiqUITIES 


of  the  tncient  nationi,  retpectiog  the  motions  of  tbc  sever  ->r)marf 
planets  of  the  heaveDs;  when  it  is  emphatically  said,  !><  ',e  He- 
brew  Scriptures,  that  the  week  of  seven  days  was  based  on  the  se- 
ven days'  work  of  the  Creator,  in  the  creation  of  the  world.  And 
aa  the  Creation  is  older  than  the  astronomical  observations  of  the 
most  ancient  nations  of  the  earth,  it  is  evident  that  the  Scripture 
account  of  the  origin  of  the  seven-day  week,  ought  to  have  the  pre- 
cedence over  all  other  opinions,  since  sprung  up.  " v**  "*  >!"^' 
43d  He  says,"  The  Indians  hardly  knew  the  use  of  iron,  altWgh 
common  umong  the  Hebrews,  and  likely  never  to  be  lost  ;  nor  did 
they,  the  Indians  of  America,  know  the  use  of  the  plough." 

"  4th.  The  same  applies  to  th^  use  of  writing  ;  such  an  art  is 
n«ver  lost  when  once  known." 

^••**  6th.  Circumcision  was  unknown,  and  even  abhorred  by  the 
Americans,  except  two  nations,  who  used  it — the  Mayans,  of  Yu- 
catan, in  South  America,  who  worshipped  an  hundred  idols,  and 
the  Calchaquis,  of  Chaco,  of  the  same  country,  who  worshipped  the 
sun  and  stars,  believing  that  departed  souls  became  atars.  These 
beliefs  are  quite  different  from  Judaism  ;  and  besides,  this  the  rite 
of  circumcision  was  common  to  Egypt,  Ethiopia,  Edom,  and 
Chalchis."  •-■■    :     ■(     V/    -■•■...    ;-    ,<r,;  ..jT":*^*"?*'  aj'* 

But  to  this  we  reply,  supposing  circumcision  waa  practised 
by  all  those  nations,  and  even  more,  this  does  not  disprove 
the  rite  to  be  of  pure  Hebrew  or  Jewish  origin,  as  we  have  an  ac- 
count of  it  in  the  Scriptures  written  by  Moses,  as  being  in  use  quite 
two  thousand  years  before  Christ ;  long  enough  before  Abraham,  or 
his  posterity  knew  any  thing  of  the  Egyptians  ;  it  was,  tlierefore,  most 
undoubtedly  introduced,  among  the  Egyptians  by  theafews  them- 
selves, and  from  them  the  custom  has  gone  out  into  many  nations 
of  the  earth. 

Again,  Mr.  Raffinesque  says,  one  tribe  there  was,  namely,  the 
Calchaquis,  who  worshipped  the  sun  and  the  stars,  supposing  them 
to  be  the  «oufe  of  the  departed.  -  w  t<»'  "•  uV- 

This  notion  is  not  very  far  removed  from,  or  at  least  may  have 
had  its  origin  with  the  Jews ;  for  Daniel,  one  of  their  prophets,  who 
lived  about  500  years  before  Christ,  expressly  says,  respecting  the 
aouU  of  the  departed  righteous  :  "  they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as 
the  BRIGHTNESS  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness,  as  the  stars,  for  ever  and  ever."    A  sentiment  of 


fcND    DISCOVERICa    IN   THC    WEIT 


^ttch  transcendaut  beauty  and  consequence,  ia  not  caaily  loit.  This 
tribe,  therefore,  as  above  named,  may  they  not  have  been  of  Jew- 
ish origin  ?  »','n*  v  *Mi 

"  6.  None  of  the  American  tribes  have  the  striking,  sharp,  Jew- 
ish features,  and  physical  conformation."  But  other  authors,  of 
equal  celebrity,  have  a  contrary  opinion. 

"  7.  The  American  Indians  eat  hogs,  hares,  fish,  and  all  the  for- 
bidden animals  of  Moseit,  but  each  tribe  abstain  from  their  tutelar 
animals,"  (which,  as  they  Imagine,  presides  over  their  destioies,) 
"  or  badges  of  families  of  some  peculiar  sort." 

But  to  this  we  reply,  most  certainly  the  .Jews  did  use  fish  ;  as  in 
all  their  history,  even  in  the  Bible,  frequent  reference  is  had  to  their 
use  of  fishes,  and  to  their  fish  markets,  wliere  they  were  sold  and 
bought.  •    .••.  ,1  J    .-.    ^   .«    aj»^« 

"  8.  The  American  customs  of  sbalping,  torturing  prisoners,  can- 
nibalism, painting  their  bodies,  and  going  naked,  even  in  very  cold 
climates,  are  totally  unlike  the  Hebrew  customs;"  Scalping,  with 
several  other  customs  of  the  sort,  we  have  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
shown  to  be  of  Scythian  origin  ;  but'  does  not,  on  that  account, 
prove,  nor  in  any  way  invalidate  the  other  opinion,  that  some  of  the 
tribes  are  indeed  of  Jewish  origin.      ^  ,  . ,  . .       ,  , ,  iv  ,.    .-t}  tfcj.- 

"  9.  A  multitude  of  languages  exists  in  America,  which  may 
perhaps  be  reduced  to  twenty-five  radical  languages,  and  two  thou- 
sand dialects.  But  they  ure  often  unlike  the  Hebrew,  in  roots, 
words,  and  grammar  ;  they  have  by  far,  says  this  author,  more  an- 
alogies with  the  iSon5cn7,"  (the  ancient  Chinese,)  Celtic,  Bask, 
Pelasgian,  Berber,"  (in  Europe  ;)  "  Lybian,  Egyptian,"  (in  Afri- 
ca ;)  •'  Persian,  Turan,  &c.,"  (also  in  Europe  ;)  "  or  in  fact,  all 
the  primitive  languages  of  mankind." 

"  10.  The  Americans  cannot  have  sprung  from  a  single  nation, 
because  independently  of  the  languages,  their  features  and  complex- 
ions are  as  various  as  in  Africa  and  Asia." 

"  We  find  in  America,  whiter  tawny,  brown,  yellow,  olive,  cop- 
per, and  even  black  nations,  as  in  Africa.  Also,  dwarfs  and  giantSy 
handsome  and  ugly  features,  fiat  and  aquiline  noses,  thick  and  tUin 
lips,"  &c. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Smith,  of  Pulteney,  Vt.,  a  few  years  since,  pub- 
lished a  work,  entitled  "  A  view  of  the  Hebrews,"  in  which  he 
labors  to  establish  that  the  American  Indians  worshipped  but  one 


UIJTWP- 


m  ^ 

w 

i 

^  1 

'•:'•{"  ■- 

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1 

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MB 

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78 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIKS 


God  ;  the  great  Yohewab,  or  Jehovah  of  the  Scriptures.  This  is 
vehemently  opposed  by  Philosopher  Raffinesquc,  as  follows,  in  re- 
ply to  him. 

"  You  say  all  the  Americans  had  the  same  God  Yohewa  ;  this  is 
utterly  false.  This  was  the  god  ol  the  Chactas  and  Florida  In- 
dians only  ;  many  other  tribes  bad  tripple  gods,  or  trimurtis,  as  in 
Hiudostau,  having  names  nearly  Sanscrit.''  But  neither  docs  this 
disprove  that  some  of  these  tribes  are  of  Jewish  origin. 

"  Polytheism,"  (a  plurplity  of  wives,)  "  i'^olatry,  and  a  complex 
mythology,  prevailed  among  all  the  most  civilized  nations"  of  this 
country. 

"  All  the  ancient  relujions  were  fo  1  in  America,"  which  have 
prevailed  in  the  old  world,  in  the  earliest  ages,  as  "  Theism,  Sa- 
baism,  Magism,,Hindooism,  Shamanism,  IfetichJsm,  &c.,  but  no 
Judaism.''''  '  .  * 

He  says  the  few  examples  of  the  affinity  between  th«  Indian 
languages  and  the  Hebrew,  given  by  Mr.  Smith,  in  his  work,  be- 
long only  to  the  Fh)rid<»n  and  Caribbean  languages.  Mr.  Raffin- 
esquc says,  he  could  show  ten  times  as  many  in  the  Aruac,  Gua- 
riao,"  (languages  of  South  America,)  "  but  what  is  tJint  compared 
with  the  100,000  afluiities  with  the  priimitiVe  languages." 

"  All  the  civilized  Americans  had  a  priesthood,  or  priestly  caste, 
and  so  had  the  Hindoos,  Egyptians,  Persians,  Celts,  Ethiopians, 
were  they  all  Jews  ? 

**  4.  TVibes  are  found  among  all  the  ancient  nations,  Arabs,  Ber- 
bers, Celts,  Negroes,  &c.,  who  are  not  Jews.  The  msot  civilized 
nations  had  castes,  instead  of  tribes,  in  America  as  well  as  Egypt 
and  India  ;  the  Mexicans,  tlie  Mayans,  Muhizcas,  the  Peruvians, 
&c.,  had  no  tribes.  The  animal  badges  of  tribes,  are  found  among 
Negroes  and  Tartars,  as  well  as  our  Indians." 

6.  Arks  of  covenant,  and  cities  of  refuge  are  not  peculiar  to 
the  Jews ;  many  Asiatic  nations  had  then,  also  tho  Egyptians,  and 
ninetenths  of  our  Indian  tribes  have  none  at  all,  or  liave  only  holy 
bags,"  (for  a  ark)  fome  what  like  a  talisman,  a  churm,  or  as  the 
Fetiches,"  of  the  Africans." 

But  we  reply,  there  is  no  evidence  that  other  nations  than  the 
Jews,  had  cities  of  Refuge,  and  imitations  of  the  Ark  of  the  cov- 
enant,/)n»r  to  the  fime  of  Moses,  which  was  fi'I  sixteen  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  and  from  whom  it  is  altogether  probible  that 
all  the  nations,  among  wlscsi  such  traits  arc  found,  derived  them  at 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


"ft 


first  from  the  laws  of  that  Hebrew  Legislator.  Those  nations, 
therefore,  amous  whom,  at  this  distance  of  time,  those  traits  are 
found  most  resembling  the  Jews,  may  be  said,  with  some  degree 
of  propriety,  to  be  their  descendants ;  and  among  many  tribes  of 
the  western  Indians,  these  traits  are  found,  if  we  may  believe  the 
most  ciedible  witnesses. 

"  6.  The  religious  cry  of  Aleluya,  is  not  Jewish,  says  this  au- 
thor, but  primitive,  and  found  among  the  "Hindoos,  Arabs,  Greeks, 
Saxons,  Celts,.  Lybians,  &c.,  under  the  modification  of  huliHf 
yululUf  tuiujahy  &c.  Other  Americans  call  it  ululaez  gualuluy 
aluyah,  &c."  • 

All  this  being  true,  which  we  are  wjlling  to  allow,  does  not 
disprove,  but  these  forms  of  speech,  which  are  directed  in  praise, 
and  adoration  of  a  Supreme,  or  Superior  being,  of  some  nature,  no 
matter  what,  may  all  have  originated  from  the  Flebrew  Jews,  as 
this  name  of  God,  namely  Jehovah,  was  known  among  that  nation, 
before  the  existence  as  nations,  by  those  names,  of  either  the  Hin- 
doos, Arabs,  Greeks,  Saxons,  Celts  or  Lybians,  for  it  was  known 
in  the  family  of  Noah,  apd  to  all  the  Patriarchs  before  the  flood.  The 
original  word,  translated  God,  was  Jehova,  and  also  Elohim, 
which  are  generally  translated  Lord  and  God. 

In  the  2d  chapter  of  Genesis,  at  the  4th  verse,  the  word  Jehovah, 
first  occurs,  ..ayes  Dr.  Clarke,  in  the  original,  as  written  by  Moses ; 
but  was  in  use  long  before  the  days  of  Abraham,  among  the  ances- 
tors of  that  Patriarch.  From  this  word,  Jehovah,  and  Elohim,  the 
words  Alleluia,  &c.,  as  above,  it  is  admitted  on  all  hands,  were  at 
first  derived  ;  t:'.)d  are  in  all  nations,  where  known  and  used,  di- 
rected to  the  praise  and  adoration  of  the  Almighty,  or  other  objects 
of  adoration. 

This  most  exalted  form  of  praise,  it  appears,  was  known  to  John 
the  Revelator,  for  he  says  in  chapter  19,  "  I  heard  a  groat  voice  of 
much  people  in  heaven,  saying  Alleluia  ;  and  again,  they  said, 
Alleluia"  This  form  of  praise,  says  Dr.  Clarke,  the  heathen  bor- 
rowed from  the  Jews,  as  is  evident  from  their  Pceans,  or  hymns, 
sung  in  honor  of  Apollo,  wliich  began  and  ended  with  ehlc.uie,  a 
mere  composition  of  the  Hebrew  words  allchiia  and  hallelujh.  It 
is  even  found  among  the  North  American  bidians,  and  adapted  by 
them  to  the  same  purjwse,  namely,  the  worship  of  God  or  the 
Great  Spirit. 


I 


( 


n 


AMF.RICAN   ANTlQUlTIEi 


From  what  we  have  been  able  to  show  on  this  subject,  as  above, 
■we  cannot  subscribe  to  the  opinion  that  those  words  art  not  of  He- 
brew and  Jewish  origins  ;  consequently  being  of  Hebrew 
origin,  it  must  follow,  that  where  they  are  found  in  the 
most  pure  and  unadultrated  use,  that  the  people  so  using  them,  are 
most  likely  to  be  of  Jewish  descent ;  and  this  is  found  among  the 
American  Indians. 

Among  some  of  their  tribes  they  have  a  place  denominated  the 
beloved  square,  here  they  sometimes  dance  a  whole  night ;  but  al- 
ways in  a  bowing,  or  worshiping  posture,  singing  continually,  hal- 
lelujah ye-ho-wah,  ye-ho-vah  ;  which  last  word,  says  Clarke,  is 
probably  the  true  pronunciation  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  word  Je- 
hovah 

jfit  is  no  marvel  then,  that  those  Jewish  customs  are  found  "a- 
mong'  nearly  all  the  ancient  nations  of  Asia,  Africa,  Europe  and 
Polynesia,  nay,  even  among  the  wild  Negros  to  this  day,"  since 
they  were  in  use  at  the  very  outset  of  the  spread  of  the  nations 
from  Ararat,  and  are,  therefore,  of  Hebrew  primitive  origins,  but 
not  heathen  primitive  origin  as  asserted  by  Raffinesque.  We  are 
not  teiiaeious,  however,  whether  the  Ten  Tribes  were  lost  or  not, 
nor  do  we  disagree  to  the  opinion,  that  they  are  found  in  almost 
all  parts  of  the  old  world,  having  mingled  with  the  various  nations 
of  Asia,  but  if  so,  we  enqiure,  why  may  they  not,  therefore,  be 
found  in  America ;  could  they  not  as  easily  have  found  their  way 
hither,  as  the  other  nations  of  the  east, — most  assuredly. 
■  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  volume,  to  contend  on  this  point ;  but 
when  we  find,  attempts,  to  overturn  the  scriptures,  and  if  possible,  to 
make  it  appear;  if  not  by  so  many  words;  yet  in  the  manner,  we 
understand  this  writer's  remarks ;  thai  the  bible  itself,  is  nothing 
else,  but  a  collection  of  heathenism,  placed  under  the  plausible 
idea  of  primitive  words,  primitive  usages  and  primitive  religion  ;  we 
think  this  is  placing  the  (currus  buvem  trnhil)  cart  before  the  horse, 
and  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  without  reproof. 


AKD   DltCOVCRiea   IN   THE   WEST 


79 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  CONVULSIONS  OF  THE  GLOBE/ 
WITH  THE  REMOVAL  OF  ISLANDS.  •   ,-  .  ■ 


If  the  supposition  of  natralists  may  obtain  belief,  it  follows, 
that  there  may  have  been  a  whole  continent,  reaching  from  the 
north  of  Europe  to  Bhering's  Strait ;  uniting,  not  only  Europe  with 
America,  on  the  east,  but  also  Asia,  on  the  north,  and  may  have 
continued  on  south  from  Bhering's  Strait,  some  way  down  the  Pa^ 
cific,  as  Buffon  partly  believed,  uniting  America  and  China  on  the 
west. 

It  was  contended  by  Clavigero,  that  the  equatorial  parts  of  Afri- 
ca and  America  were  once  united :  By  which  means,  before  the 
connexion  was  torn  away  by  the  irruption  of  the  sea  on  both  sides, 
the  inhabitants  from  the  African  continent  came,  in  the  earliest 
ages,  to  South  America.  Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  the  two 
countries  approach  each  other,  in  a  reinarkable  manner,  along^the 
coast  of  Guinea,  on  the  side  of  Africa,  and  the  coast  of  Pernam- 
buco,  on  the  side  of  South  America.  These  are  the  places  whichy 
in  reality,  seem  to  uiretch  towards  each  other,  as  if  they  had  been 
once  united. 

The  innumerable  islands  scattered  all  over  the  Pacific  ocean, 
populous  with  men,  more  than  intimates  a  period,  even  since  the 
flood,  when  all  the  diiferent  continents  of  the  globe  were  united  to- 
gether, and  the  sea  so  disposed  of,  that  they  did  not  break  this  har- 
mony, so  well  calculated  to  facilitate  the  migrations  of  men  and  an- 
imals. 

Several  tribes  of  the  present  Southern  Indians,  as  they  now  are 
called,  have  traditions,  that  tiia^  came  from  the  east,  or  through 
the  Atlantic  ocean.  Raffinesque  says,  it  is  important  to  distinguish 
the  American  nations  of  eastern  origiii  from  those  of  northern,  who, 
he  says,  were  invaders  from  Tartary,  and  were  as  different  in  their 
manners  as  were  the  Romans  and  Vandals. 

The  southern  nations,  among  whom  this  tradition  is  found,  are 
the  Natchez,  Apalachians,  Talascas,  Mayans,  Myhizcas,  and  Hay- 
tians.  But  those  of  the  Algonquin  stock,  point  to  a  northwest 
origin,  which  is  the  way  from  the  northern  regions  of  Asia. 


80 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIEt^ 


't* 


It  istiot  likely  that  immediately  after  the  era  of  the  deluge,  there 
was  as  much  ocean  which  appeared  above  ground  as  at  the  present 
time  ;  but  instead  of  this,  lakes  were  more  numerous.  Conse- 
quently, on  the  surface  of  the  globe  there  was  much  more  land 
than  at  the  present  time.  But  from  various  convulsions,  more  than 
we  have  spoken  of,  whose  history  is  now  lost,  in  past  ages,  many 
parts,  nay,  nearlyj  all  the  earthy  surface,  is  sunken  to  the  depths 
below,  while  the  waters  have  risen  above  ;  nearly  three-fourths  of 
the  globe's  surface  is  known  t-^  be  water.  How  appalling  is  this 
reflection ! 

The  currents  of  sea  running  through  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
by  the  disposition  of  its  Creator,  to  promote  motion  in  the  waters, 
as  motion  is  essential  to  all  animal  life,  have,  doubtless,  by  subter- 
ranean attrition  wearing  away  the  earth,  affected  the  foundations 
of  whole  islands,  which  have  sunk  beneath  the  waters  at  different 
periods  To  such  convulsions  as  these,  it  would  seem,  Job  has  al- 
luded in  his  ninth  chapter,  at  the  5th  verse,  as  follows  :  "  Which 
removeth  the  mountains,  and  they  know  not ;  which  overturneth 
them  in  his  anger."  Adam  Clarke's  comment  on  this  verse  is  as 
follows :  "  This  seems  to  refer  to  earthquakes.  By  these  strong 
convulsions,  mountains,  valleys,  hills^  even  whole  islands  are  re- 
moved in  an  instant :  and  to  this  latter  circumstance  the  words, 
"  they  know  votj"  most  probably  refer.  The  work  is  done  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye ;  no  warning  is  given ;  the  mountain  that 
seemed  to  be  as  firm  as  the  earth  on  which  it  rested,  was  in  th»? 
same  moment  both  visible  and  invisible  ;  so  suddenly  was  it  swal- 
lowed up." 

It  can  scarcely  be  supposed  but  Job  was  either  personally  or  by 
information,  acquainted  with  occurrences  of  the  kind,  in  order  to 
justify  the  thing  as  being  done  by  God  in  his  anger. 

It  is  not  impossible  but  the  fact  upon  which  the  following  story 
is  founded,  may  have  been  known  to  Job,  who  was  a  man  suppos- 
ed in  possession  of  every  species  of  information  calculated  to  inter- 
est the  nobler  faculties  of  the  human  mind,  if  we  may  judge  from 
the  book  bearing  his  own  name.  The  story  is  an  account  of  a  cer- 
tain island,  called  by  the  ancients  Atnlantis  ;  and  for  ought  that  can 
be  urged  against  it  having  existed,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  it  did, 
as  that  all  learning,  uninspired,  and  general  information,  was  an- 
ciently iu  possession  of  heatften  philosophers  and  priests,  to  whom 


jkVD  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


81 


it  was  the  custom,  even  for  princes,  to  resort  to,  aud  learn  of,  be- 
fore they  were  considered  qualified  to  sit  on  the  thrones  of  their 
fathers.  Such  were  the  Eg}  ptian  priests  to  the  Egyptians,  and  the 
Druids  to  the  Celtic  nations ;  ilie  Brahmins  to  the  Hindoos ;  the 
Magi  to  the  Persians ;  the  Philosophers  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans ; 
and  the  Prophets  of  the  Indians,  to  the  western  Tribes. 

".  This  island  is  mentioned  by  Plato,  in  his  dialogue  of  Timaeus. 
Solon,  the  Athenian  lawgiver,  is  supposed  to  have  travelled  into 
Egypt,"  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Plato's  time  viras 
three  hundred  years  nearer  the  time  of  Christ,  who  has  mentioned 
the  travels  of  Solon  into  Egypt.  "  He  arrives  at  an  ancient  tem- 
ple on  the  Delta,  a  fertile  island  formed  by  the  Nile,  where  he  held 
fi  conversation  with  certain  learned  priests,  on  the  antiquities  of  re- 
mote ages.  When  one  of  them  gave  Solon  a  description  of  the  isl- 
and Atalantis,  and  also  of  its  destruction.  This  island,  said  the 
Egyptian  priest,  was  situated  in  the  Western,  Ocean,  opposite  the 
Straits  of  Gibralter ;"  which  would  place  it  exactly  between  a  part 
of  Europe,  its  southern  end,  and  the  northern  part  of  Africa  and  the 
continent  of  America. 

"  There  was,  said  the  priest,  an  easy  passage  from  this  to  other 
islands,  which  lay  adjacent  to  a  large  continent,  exceeding  in  size 
all  Europe  and  Asia."  Neptune  settled  in  this  island,  from  whose 
son  Atlas,  its  name  was  derived,  and  divided  it  between  his  ten 
sons,  who  reigned  there  in  regular  succession  for  many  ages." 

From  the  time  of  Solon's  travels  in  Egypt,  which  was  six  hun- 
dred, years  before  Christ,  we  find  more  than  seventeen  hundred 
years  up  to  the  flood  ;  so  that  time  enough  had  elapsed  since  the 
flood  to  justify  the  fact  of  the  island  having  existed,  and  also  of 
having  been  inhabited  and  destroyed  even  six  hundred  years  be- 
fore the  time  of  So'on  ;  which  would  make  the  time  of  its  destruc- 
tion twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ;  and  would  still  leave 
more  than  five  hundred  years  from  that  period  back  to  the  flood. — 
So  that  if  King  Neptune  had  not  made  his  settlement  on  the  island 
Atalantis,  till  two  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  there  would  have 
bei?n  time  for  the  successive  reigns  of  each  of  the  legal  lines  of  his 
sons,  amounting  to  three  hundred  years,  before  the  time  of  its  en- 
velopement  in  the  sea  ;  so  that  the  priest  was  justified  in  using  the 
term  anti(juilies,  when  he  referred  to  that  catastrophe. 

11 


83 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


"  They  made,  i-  e.  the  Atalantians,  irruptions  into  £ufop«  and 
Africa ;  subduing  all  Lybia,  as  far  as  Egypt,  Europe,  and  Asia  Mi- 
nor. They  wer^  resisted,  however,  by  the  Athenians,  and  driven 
back  to  their  Atlantic  territories."  If  they  were  resisted  and  driv- 
en back  by  the  Athenians,  the  era  of  the  existence  of  this  island 
is  easily  ascertained  ;  because  the  Athenians  settled  at  Athens, 
in  Greece,  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty-six  years  before  Christ,  being 
a  colony  from  Egypt,  under  their  conductor  Cecrops.  One  hun- 
dred years  after  their  establishment  at  Athens,  they  had  become 
powerful,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  a  political  stand  among  the  na- 
tion's of  that  region,  and  to  defend  their  country  against  invasions. 
Accordingly,  at  the  time  the  Atalantians  were  repulsed  and  com- 
pelled to  return  from  whence  they  came,  was  in  the  year  fourteen 
hundred  and  forty- three  before  Christ. 

"  Shortly  after  this,"  says  Plato, "  there  was  a  tremendous  earth- 
quake and  an  overflowing  of  the  sea,  which  continued  for  a  day 
and  a  night ;  in  the  course  of  which  the  vast  island  oi  Atalantis, 
and  all  its  splendid  cities  and  warlike  nations,  were  swallowed  up, 
and  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  which  spr»  ading  its  waters  over 
the  chasm,  added  a  vast  region  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.     For  a  lonj 
time,  however,  the  sea  was  not  navigable,  on  account  of  rocks  and 
shoals,  of  mud  and  slime,  and  of  the  ruins  of  that  drowned  coun- 
try."   This  occurrence,  if  the  tradition  be  true,  happened  about 
twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ,  three  hundred  years  before  the 
time  of  Job,  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  flood.     At 
the  period,  therefore,  of  the  existence  of  this  island,  a  land  passage 
to  America,  from   Europe  and  Africa,  was  practicable  ;  also  by 
other  islands,  some  of  which  are  still  situated  in  the  same  direction 
—the  Azores,  Madeiras,  and  Tenerifle  islands,  about  twenty  in 
number.  , 

For  this  story  of  the  island  of  Atalantis,  we  are  indebted  to  Ir- 
ving's  Columbus,  a  popular  work,^of  recent  date  ;  which  cannot  be 
denied  but  is  exceedingly  curious,  and  not  without  some  foundation 
of  probability.  Was  not  this  island  the  bridge,  so  called,  reaching 
from  America  to  Europe,  as  conjectured  by  Dr.  Robertson,  the  his- 
torian, but  was  destroyed  by  the  ocean,  as  he  supposes,  very  far 
baek  in  the  ages  of  antiquity. 

An  allusion  to  this  same  island,  Atalantis,  is  made  by  Euclid, 
who  flourished  about  three  hundred  years  before  Christ,  in  a  conver- 


tliV   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


^h. 


VatioD  which  he  had  with  Anacharsis,  a  Scythian  philosopher  of  the 
■ame  age  ;  who  had,  in  search  of  knowledge,  travelled  from  the 
wilds  of  his  own  northern  region,  to  Athens,  where  he  hecaine  ac- 
quainted with  Euclid. 

Their  subject  was  the  convulsions  of  the  globe.  The  sea,  ac- 
cording to  every  appearance,  said  Euclid,  lias  separated  SicUy  from 
Italy,  Eubcen  from  Boeotia,  and  a  number  of  other  islands  from  the 
continent  of  Europe.  We  are  informed,  continued  the  philoso- 
pher,  that  the  waters  of  Pontus  Euxinus,  (or  the  Black  Sea,)  having 
been  long  enclosed  iu  a  basin,  (or  lake,)  shut  on  nil  sides, and  con- 
tinually increasing  by  the  rivers  of  Europe  and  Asia,  rose  at  length 
above  the  high  lands  which  surrounded  it,  forced  open  the  passage 
of  the  Bosphorus  and  Hellespont,  and  impetuously  rushing  into  the 
^gean  or  Mediterranean  Sea,  extended  its  limits  to  the  surround- 
ing shores.  '  - 

If  we  consult,  he  says,  mythology,  we  are  told  that  Hercxdes^ 
whose  labors  have  been  confounded  with  those  of  nature,  separated 
Europe  from  Africa  ;  by  which  is  meant,  no  doubt,  th?.t  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean  destroyed  the  isthmus,  which  once  united  those  two  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  opened  to  itself  a  communication  with  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea. 

Beyond  the  isthmus,  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  said  Euclid, 
existed,  according  to  ancient  traditions,  an  island  as  large  as  Afri- 
ca, which,  with  all  its  wretched  inhabitants,  was  swallowed  up  by 
an  earthquake. 

Here,  then,  is  another  witness,  besides  Solon,  who  lived  300 
years  ^before  the  time  of  Euclid,  who  testifies  to  the  past  esdst- 
ence  of  the  island  Atalantis.  -^ 


EVIDENCES  OF  AN  ANCIENT  POPULATION  IN  AMERICA  DIF- 
FERENT FROM  THAT  OF  THE  INDIANS. 


We  shall  now  attend  more  particularly  to  the  evidences  of  an 
ancient  population  in  this  count'-y^  anterior  to  that  of  the  present 
race  of  Indians,  afforded  in  the  discovery  of  Forts^  Mounds^  TumuUf 


S4 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


•nd  their  coDtents,  as  re  1  ted  by  >\'e8terii  travellers,  and  the  re- 
searches of  the  Antiquiriau  Society,  at  Cincinuati.  But  before  vt  e 
proceed  to  au  account  ol'  the  traits  of  this  kind  of  populutioii,  more 
than  already  given,  we  will  rf  murk,  that  wherever  jJats  of  giound, 
struck  out  into  circles^  squares  ind  ovah^  are  found,  we  aio  at  once 
referred  to  an  era  wlien  n  people  and  nations  existed  in  this  coun- 
try,  more  civilized,  refined,  and  given  to  archilectuiul  and  ugricul- 
tural  pursuits,  than  the  Indians. 

It  is  well  known  the  present  tribes  do  not  take  the  ;. cttble  of  ma- 
terially altering  tlie  face  of  the  ground  to  ncconimodate  the  erection 
of  ttieir  places  of  dwelling  ;  always  selecting  that  which  is  alrexdy 
fashioned  by  nature  to  suit  their  views ;  usii.g  the  earth,  where 
they  build  their  towns,  as  they  find  it- 

In  a  deep,  and  almost  hidden  valley,  among  the  mountains  of 
the  Alleghany,  on  the  road  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh,  is  one 
of  those  solitary  memorials  of  an  exterminated  race.  It  is  liid 
amidst  the  profoundest  gloom  of  the  woods  ;  and  is  found  to  con- 
sist of  a  regular  circle,  an  hundred  paces  in  diameter.  This  is 
equal  to  six  rods  and  four  paces  ;  and  twenty-two  lods  in  circum- 
ference. The  whole  plat  is  raised  above  the  common  level  of  the 
earth  around,  about  four  feet  high  ;  which  may  have  been  done  to 
carry  off  the  water,  when  the  snows  melted,  or  when  violent  rains 
would  otherwise  have  inundated  their  dwellings  from  the  surround- 
ing hills. 

The  neighborhood  of  Brownsville  or  Redstone,  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, abounds  with  monuments  of  antiquity.  A  fortified  camp, 
of  a  very  complete  and  curious  kiud,  on  the  ramparts  of  which  is 
timber  of  five  feet  in  diameter,  stands  near  the  town  of  Brownville. 
This  camp  contains  about  thirteen  acres,  enclosed  in  a  circle,  the 
elevation  of  which  is  seven  feet  above  the  adjoining  ground  ;  this 
was  an  herculean  work.  Within  the  circle  a  pentagon  is  accurately 
described ;  having  its  sides  four  feet  high,  and  its  angles  uniformly 
three  feet  from  the  outside  of  the  circle,  thus  leaving  an  unbroken 
communication  all  around  ;  a  pentagon  is  a  figure,  having  five 
angles  or  sidea.  Each  side  of  the  pentagon  has  a  postern,  or  small 
gateway,  opening  into  the  passage  between  it  and  the  circle ;  but 
the  circle  itself  has  only  one  grand  gateway  outward.  Exactly  in 
the  centre  stands  a  mound  about  thirty  feet  high,  supposed  to  have 
been  a  place  of  look-out.     At  a  small  distance  from  this  place,  was 


ANV  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


found  a  htoiU',  eight  fet\by  five,  on  which  wtis  ai'curattly  engraved 
a  repit'seiitatiui)  ol'  the  w»oie  woili,  with  tm  moti'id  iti  the  cen- 
tre ;  whereon  was  the  likiu^s  of  a  tiuii) .»  iieml,  which  sigiiiti.-d 
that  the  chief  who  presided  Muie,  lay  buried  beiie<ith  it.  Thei 
engrnviiig  on  this  stoi.e,  is  evi^,„(.e  of  the  ki.o^'iedge  of  intone 
cutting  Bs  it  was  e-ft'cuted  with  ^  coiibideialjle  civ  gree  of  accu- 
racy- 

On  comparing  the  description  of  thibciicul.ir  monun.ent  witli  a 
description  of  works  of  a  similar  charai'er,  found  in  Denmark, 
Sweden  and  Iceland,  the  conclusion  is  drci\V\^  fjat  at  some  era  of 
time  tile  authors  of  this  kiml  of  monumental  -,  vpks,  in  either  of 
those  countries,  have  been  the  same. 

"  They  are  called  Domh-ringr^  by  the  Danes ;  th\t  is,  literally, 
Doom  Ring,  or  Circle  OF  Judgment;  being  the  '^lemn  place 
where  courts  were  held."  The  celebrated  stone  henge  i«  England, 
is  built  after  the  same  fimhion,  that  is,  in  a  circle,  and  is  of  Belgic 
origin  ;  the  second  class  of  English  antiquities,  the  era  of  vhich 
precedes  that  of  the  Romans  in  England  ;  which  would  throw  Uie 
time  of  their  first  erection  hack  to  a  period  of  some  hundred  years 
before  Christ. 

"  Stonehenge  :  This  noble  and  curious  monument  of  early 
times,  appears  to  iiave  been  formed  by  three  principal  circles  of 
stone,  the  outer  connected  together  by  an  uniform  pavement,  as  it 
were,  at  the  top,  to  which  the  chiefs  might  ascend  and  speak  to  the 
.■  urrounding  crowd.  A  second  Circle  consists  of  detached  upright 
tlones,  about  five  feet  in  height,  while  the  highest  are  eighteen. 
Within  this  is  a  grand  Oval,  consist'  p:  of  five  huge  stones,  cross- 
ed by  another  at  the  top,  and  enclosin  ;  smaller  stones,  which  seem 
to  have  been  seats,  and  a  large  flat  stone,  commonly  called  the  al- 
tar, but  which  seems  to  have  been  the  throne  or  seat  of  judgment. 
The  whole  of  the  above  described  monument,  v/ith  all  its  appara- 
tus,**' seems  to  be  enclosed  in  the  midst  of  a  very  extensive  Circle ^ 
or  embankment  of  earth,  sufliaently  krge  to  hold  an  immense  num- 
ber; a  whole  tribe  or  nation." — Morse. 

After  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  west  of  Europe, 
which  was  sixty  years  after  Christ,  these  Circles  of  Judgment, 
which  had  been  polluted  with  human  sacrifices,  and  other  pagan 
rites,  were  abandoned,  and  other  custoa.:,  with  other  places  of  re- 
sort, were  instituted.     This  sort  of  antiqu.des,  says  Morse,  the  geo- 


1^1 


t  *■!  S 


86 


kUtJUCkH   ANTiqUITIBf 


grapher,  which  are  found  all  over  Europe  ^te  of  tbi»  char»cter/ 
that  is,  of  the  tumular  kind,  such  as  ar*-  found  in  the  west  v(  ouf 
conotry  ;  belong  entirely  to  the  first  ^  o^  the  settlements  of  Eu- 
rope. ' 

The  Druidic  temples  in  EunfJ*  were  numerous     nd  some  of 
ther.,  immense,  especially  one»i  the  iMe  of  Lewis  these  the 

gOLJ  Odin,  The  Freyga,  atu' other  Gothic  Deities,  were  adored; 
all  such  structures  weie  en/losed  in  Circles,  some  greater  and  some 
less,  according  to  their  Anportance,  or  the  numbers  of  those  who 
supported  them.  Th(»^  are  of  the  first  order  of  Antiquities  foundl 
in  Europe  ;  or,  in  o^er  words,  the  eldest,  and  go  back  very  far  to- 
ward the  flood,  {<y  their  commencement. 

The  same  ki«d  of  antiquities  are  found  in  Ireland,  and  are  allow- 
ed to  be  of  IVuidic  origin,  always  enclosed  in  Circles,  whether  a 
simple  ston^",  or  a  more  spacious  temple,  be  the  place  where  they 
worshippi^d.  The  Scandinavians,  who  preceded  the  Norwegians 
some  liundred  years,  enclosed  their  rude  chapels  with  ircular  in- 
trenchments,  and  were  called  the  Darters  Ralhs,  cr  circular  intrench* 
ments. 

"  In  the  first  flges  of  the  world,  the  worship  of  God  was  exceed- 
ingly simple ;  there  were  no  temples  nor  covered  edifices  of  any 
kind  :  An  altar,  sometimes  a  single  jtone  ;  sometimes  it  consisted 
of  several  aad  at  other  times  merely  of  turf,  was  all  that  was  ne- 
cessary -  on  *\m  the  fire  was  lighted,  and  the  sacrifice  offered." — 
Adair.   C.iirh:. 

Such  wije  the  Druids  of  Europe,  whose  name  is  derived  from 
the  kind  of  iorest  in  which  they  preferred  to  worship  ;  this  was  the 
oaky  which  in  the  Greek,  is  expressed  by  the  word  Druid,  whose 
worship  and  principles  extend  even  to  Italy,  among  the  Celtic  na- 
tions, and  is  celebrated  by  Virgil,  in  the  sixth  book  of  the  .£nea«, 
where  he  speaks  of  the  Misleloe,  and  calls  it  the  golden  branchy 
without  which  no  one  could  return  from  the  infernal  regions.     * 

The  Msletoe  ; — a  description  of  which  may  please  the  reader,  as 
given  by  Pliny,  who  flourished  about  23  A.  D.  and  was  a  celebrat- 
ed writer  of  natural  history,  and  most  learned  of  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans. "  The  Druids  hold  nothing  more  sacred  t'lan  the  Misletoe, 
and  the  tree  on  which  it  grows,  provided  it  be  the  Oak.  They 
make  choice  of  groves  of'oak,  on  this  account;  nor  do  they  per- 
form any  of  their  sacred  rites,  without  the  leaves  of  those  trees. 


km  MICOVERIES  IH  Till  WIIT- 


87 


And  whenever  they  find  it  on  the  oak,  they  think  it  i>  sent  from 
Heaven,  and  is  a  sign  that  God  himself  has  chosen  that  tree  j  and 
^vhenever  found,  is  treated  with  great  ceremony. 

They  call  it  by  a  name  which  is  their  huiguage  signifies  the  curer 
of  itla  ;  and  having  duly  prepa/ed  their  feasts  and  sacrifices  under 
the  tree,  they  bring  to  it  tv\^>  t/^iV«  bulls;  the  priest  dressed  in  a 
white  robe,  ascends  the  tiee,  and  with  a  gold<  prunning  hook, 
cuts  off  the  Misletoe,  whti;  is  received  in  a  Sagum,  or  white  sheet. 
Then  they  sacrifice  th*  victin  priyinp:  that  God  would  bless  hi» 
town  gift,  to  those  01)  whom  he  ha    oet         1  i* '      Clarke. 


I 


DISCOVERIES  ON  THE  MUSKINGUM, 

tif  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Ilarmer,  on  the  Muskingum,  o{k 
posite  Marietta,  on  the  Ohio,  were  discovered,  by  Mr.  Ash,  an  En- 
glish traveller,  1826,  several  monuments  of  the  ancient  nation. 

*' Having  made  (says  this  traveller,)  arrangements  for  an  absence 
of  a  few  days,  I  provided  myself  with  an  excellent  tinder  box, 
some  biscuit  and  salt,  and  arming  my  Indian  travelling  companion 
with  a  good  axe  and  rifie,  taking  myself  a  fowling  piece,  often  tried^ 
and  my  faithful  dog,  I  crossed  the  ferry  of  the  Muskingum,  hav- 
ing learned  that  the  left  hand  side  of  that  river  was  most  accessible, 
and  the  most  abundant  in  curiosities,  and  other  objects  of  my  re« 
search.  [In  another  part  of  this  work,  we  shall  describe  works  of 
a  similar  sort,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Muskingum,  as  given  by 
the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Ohio.] 

"  On  traversing  the  valley  between  Fort  Harmer  and  the  moun- 
tains, I  determined  to  take  the  high  grounds,  and  after  some  difiH- 
«ulty  ascended  an  eminence  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  town 
of  Marietta,  and  of  the  river,  up  and  down,  displaying  to  a  great 
distance  along  the  narrow  valley  of  the  Ohio,  cultivated  plains,  the 
gardens,  and  popular  walks  of  that  beautiful  town. 

"  After  a  very  short  inspection  and  cursory  examination,  it  wai 
evident  that  the  very  spot,  or  eminence,  on  which  I  stood,  had  beeOi 


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occupied  by  the  Indians,  either  as  a  place  of  observation,  or  %  strdng 
hold.  The  eiact  summit  of  the  hill  I  found  to  be  artificial :  it  ex- 
pressed an  oval,  forty-five  feet  by  twenty -three,  and  was  corliposed 
apparently  of  earth  and  stone,  thotgh  no  stone  of  a  similar  charac- 
ter appeared  in  that  place. 

"  The  base  of  the  whole  was  girdid  round  about,  by  a  wall  of 
earth  in  a  state  of  too  great  decay  to  just%  any  calculation,  and  the 
whole  was  so  covered  with  heavy  timber,  <liat  I  despaired  of  gain- 
ing any  further  knowledge,  and  would  have  left  the  place,  had  I 
not  been  detained  by  my  Indian  companion,  wlom  I  saw  occupied 
in  endeavoring  to  introduce  a  pole  into  a  small  opening,  between 
two  flat  stones,  near  the  root  of  a  tree,  which  gre  7  on  the  very 
summit  of  this  eminence. 

''  The  Aones  we  found  were  too  heavy  to  be  removed  by  the 
mere  power  of  hands.  Two  good  oak  poles  were  cut,  m  lieu  of 
levers  and  crows.  Clapping  these  into  the  orifice  first  discovered, 
we  weighed  a  large  flag  stone,  tilting  it  over,  when  we  each  as- 
sumed a  guarded  position,  in  silent  expectation  of  hearing  the  his- 
sing of  serpents,  or  the  rustling  of  the  ground  hog's  litter.  Where 
the  Indian  had  supposed,  was  a  den  of  one  sort  or  the  other. 
<  *'  All  was  silent.  We  resumed  our  labour,  casting  out  a  num- 
ber of  stones,  leaves,  and  earth,  soon  clearing  a  surface  of  seven 
feet  by  five,  which  had  been  covered,  upwards  of  fifteen  inches 
deep,  with  flat  stones,  principally  lying  against  each  other,  with 
their  edges  to  the  horizon. 

*'  On  the  surface  we  had  cleared,  appeared  another  difficulty, 
which  was  a  plain  superfices,  composed  of  but  three  flat  stones,  of 
such  apparent  magnitude  that  the  Indian  began  to  think  that  we 
should  find  under  them  neither  snake  nor  pig,  but  having  once  be- 
gun, I  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  my  task. 

"  Stimulated  by  obstructions,  and  animated  with  other  views  ihan 
those  of  my  companion,  I  had  made  a  couple  of  hickory  shovels 
with  the  axe,  and  setting  to  work,  soon  undermined  the  surface, 
tnd  slid  the  stones  off  on  oue  side,  and  laid  the  space  open  to 
view.       ■ '  -  •■      '      •  •    •     '      ^    '• .  '  ■■  -    '  -  -_T.i--v.j. 

"  I  expected  to  find  a  cavern :  my  imagination  w.^?  warmed  by 
•  certain  design,  I  thought  I  discovered,  from  the  very  beginning ; 
the  manner  the  stones  were  placed  led  me  to  conceive  the  existence 


'*-■:*• 
.;^— 


AND   DiaCOVERiSS   IN  THE   WEST.  89 

<^«  vault  filled  with  the  riches  of  antiquity,  and  crowded  widi  the 
treasures  of  the  most  ancient  world. 

"  A  bed  Oi  sand  was  all  that  appeared  under  these  flat  stones, 
which  I  cast  off,  and  as  I  knew  there  was  no  sand  nearer  than  the 
bed  of  the  Muskingum,  a  design  was  theref(»«  the  mote  manifest, 
whic  encouraged  my  proceeding ;  the  sand  was  about  a  foot  deep, 
whidi  I  soon  removed.     '"^:^  ^jV^ « .fniiVi  b«*  ,Mi«A)t, it>;::  '^^,"-';'-  " , 

"  The  design  and  labor  of  man,  was  now  unequivocal.  The 
space  out  of  which  these  materials  were  taken,  left  a  hdlow  in  an 
oblong  square,  lined  with  stones  on  the  end  and  sides,  and  also,  pcnr- 
ed  on  what  appeared  to  be  the  bottom,  with  square  stones,  of  about 
nine;  inches  diameter.  ^•^^■■^t>A  u  vx'  iws/J  Wji3 .»?  y» 

"  I  picked  these  up  wl«;h  the  nicest  care,  and  again  came  to  a  bed 
of  sand,  which,  when  removed,  made  the  vault  about  three  feet 
deep,  presenting  another  bottom  or  surface,  composed  of  small 
square  cut  stones,  fitted  v/ith  such  art,  that  I  had  much  difficulty  in 
discovering  many  of  the  places  where  they  met.  These  dis{riaced, 
I  came  to  a  substance,  which,  on  the  most  critical  examination,  I 
judged  to  be  a  mat,  or  mats,  in  a  state  of  entire  decompositidn  and 
decay.  My  reverence  and  ear?  increased  with  the  progress  alrea- 
dy made ;  I  took  up  this  impalpable  powder  with  my  hands,  and 
fanned  off  the  remaining  dust  with  my  hat,  when  there  appeared  a 
beautiful  tesselated  pavement  of  small,  coloured  stones  ;  the  colours 
and  stones  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  express  harmciy  and 
shades,  and  portraying,  at  full  length,  the  figure  of  a  warrior  i  nn> 
der  whose  feet  a  snake  was  exhibited  in  ample  folds.'  '  "^*  v"    •"• 

"  The  body  of  tbe  figures  was  composed  of  dyed  woods,  bones, 
and  a  variety  of  small  bits  of  terrous  and  testaceous  substances, 
most  of  which  crumbled  into  dust,  on  being  removed,  and  exposed 
to  the  open  air. 

"  My  regret  and  disappointment  were  very  great,  as  I  had  flat- 
tered myself  that  the  whole  was  stone,  and  capable  of  being  takea 
up  and  preserved.  Little  more,  however,  than  tbe  actual  pave- 
ment could  be  preserved,  which  was  composed  of  flat  stones,  one 
inch  deep,  and  two  inches  square.  The  prevailing  colours  were, 
white,  green,  d?rk  blue,  and  pale  spotted  red ;  all  of  which  are  pe- 
culiar to  the  lakes,  and  not  to  be  had  nearer  than  about  three' 
hundted  miles. 


90 


.'igZ  AMEpiCAIf   ▲MTiqUlTlBS 


I! 


^**  The nrhole  was  affixed  ia  a  thin  layer  of  sand,  fitted  tc^ethef 
Mridi  great  precision,  and  covered  a  piece  of  baik  in  great  decay, 
whose  n^n^oyal  exposed  what  I  was  fully  prepared  to  discover,  from 
all  previous  indications,  the  reipains  of  a  human  skeleton,  which 
waf  of  an  uncommon  magnitude,  being  seven  feet  in  length.  With 
the  skeleton  was  found,  fiist,  an  earthen  vessel,  or  urn,  in  which 
were  several  bones,  and  some  white  sediment,  ai^i  '^^urikk  t  il^liiH 
.  **  The  urn  appeared  to  be  made  of  sand  and  flint  vitrified,  and 
rvmg,  when  struck,  like  glass,  and  held  about  two  gall(»s,  had  a 
(op  or  cqyer  of  th^  sam^  material,  and  resisted  fire  as  completely  as 
iron  or  brass.  Second ;  a  stone  axe,  with  a  groove  round  the  pole, 
by  which  it  had  been  fastened  with  a  withe  to  the  handle.  Third  ; 
twenty-four  ariow  points,  made  of  flint  and  bone,  and  lying  in  a 
position  which  showed  they  had  belonged  to  a  quiver.  Fourth ;  a 
quantity  of  beads,  but  not  of  glass,  round  oval,  and  square  ;  colour- 
ed greea^  black,  white,  blue  and  yellow.  Fifth  ;  a  very  large 
eonch  shell,  decomposed  into  a  substance  like  chalk  ;  this  shell  was 
jfourteen  inches  long,  and  twenty-three  in  circumference.  The 
Hindoo  priests,  at  the  present  time,  use  this  shell  as  sacred.  It  is 
blown  to  announce  the  celebration  of  religious  festivals.  Sixth ; 
under  a  heap  of  dust  and  tenuous  shreads  of  feathered  cloth  and 
hair,  a  parcel  of  IrasB  rings,  cut  out  of  a  solid  piece  of  metal,  and 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  rings  were  suspended  from  each  other, 
without  the  aid  of  solder,  or  any  other  visible  agency  whatever — 
Each  ring  was  three  inches  in  diamete  1  the  bar  of  the  rings 
an  half  inch  thick,  and  were  square  ;  .iety  of  characters  were 
deeply  engraved  on  the  sides  of  the  rings,  resembling  the  Chinese 
characters." 

Ward's  History  of  the  Hindoos,  page  41  and  56,  informs  us,  that 
the  god  Vishnoo,  is  represented  holding  a  sea  shell  in  his  hand« 
called  the  "  sacred  shell ;"  and,  second,  he  states,  that  "  the  uten- 
sils employee!  in  th^  ceremonies  of  the  temple,  are  several  dishes  to 
hold  the  offerings,  a  hand  bell,  a  lamp,  jugs  for  holding  water,  an 
incense  djsh,  a  copper  cup,  a  seat  of  Kooshu  grass  for  the  priests,  a 
large  metal  plate,  used  as  a  bell.  Several  of  the  articles  found 
buried  in  this  manner,  resemble  these  utensils  of  the  Brahmin 
Priests,  while  some  are  exactly  fike  them-  The  mat  of  Kooshu 
grass  resemMes  the  mat  of  hair  and  feathers ;  the  earthen  dish,  the 
conch  shell,  arc  the  very  same  in  kind  ;  the  brass  chain  might  an- 


:  in  a 


AND   DISCOVEKIES  IN   tHE   WBST.  §$ 

«Wer  instead  of  a  bell,  or  iron  plate  to  strike  against,  which  would 
produce  a  gingling  sound.  A  quantity  of  round,  oval,  and  squara 
beads,  coloured  variously,  were  found ;  although  Mr.  Ward  does 
not  say  that  beads  were  a  part  of  the  utensils  of  tho  Hindoo  priettv, 
yet  we  find  them  on  the  necks  and  arms  of  both  their  gods  and  their 
mendicants. 

Potteiy,  of  the  same  kind  found  in  those  ancient  works,  have  al- 
so the  quality  of  enduring  the  fire.  The  art  of  making  vesseU  of 
clay,  is  very  ancient ;  we  find  it  spoken  of  by  Jeremidi  (he  po- 
phet,  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago.    vmfA  ffi  iJ0«  { ^t««tij'»tt#a*'> 

The  art  of  c(douring  wood,  stones,  and  shells^  with  a  variety  of 
beautiful  tints,  was  also  known,  as  appears  from  the  pavement 
above  described,  and  the  coloured  beads. 

Id  many  parts  of  the  west,  paints  of  various  colours  have  been' 
found,  hidden  in  the  earth.  On  the  Chenango  river,  in  the  state 
of  New- York,  has  recently  been  found  on  opening  of  one  of  those 
ancient  mounds,  though  of  but  small  dimensions  ;  three  kinds  o( 
paint,  black,  red,  and  yellow,  which  are  now  in  the  possession  of 
a  Doctor  Willard,  at  the  village  of  Greene,  in  the  county  of 
Chenango. 

The  Indians  of  both  China  and  America,  have,  from  time  inune*- 
mori{il,used  paints  to  adorn  both  themselves  and  their  gods/^^Mr^oti 

But  the  brass  rings  and  tesselated  pavement,  are  altogether  the 
most  to  be  wondered  at.  A  knowledge  of  the  method  of  manufii<^ 
turing  brass  was  known  to  the  Antediluvians ;  this  we  learn  fpita. 
Genesis  iv.  22,  Tubal  Cain  was  an  artificer  in  brass  and  iron  about 
eleven  hundred  years  before  the  flood. 

But  how  this  article,  the  brass  chain,  of  such  curious  construc- 
tion, came  in  the  possession  of  the  Chief,  interred  on  the  summit  ofr 
the  mountain,  is  a  question  to  be  answered,  it  would  seem,  in  bat 
two  ways.  They  either  had  a  knowledge  of  (fie  art  of  mdiing 
brass,  or  the  article  was  an  item  of  that  king's  peculiar  treasure, 
and  had  been  derived  either  from  his  ancestors  from  the  eorlieat 
ages,  or  from  South  America,  as  an  article  oi  trade,  a  gift  from 
some  fellow  king,  or  a  trophy  of  some  victorious  battie,  over  some 
southern  nation  ;  for,  according  to  Humboldt,  hnsa  was  found 
among  the  native  Mexicans,  in  great  abundance.  1,^  >#^«;iii(^<>e0  (ts  irt 

But  how  the  Mexicans  came  by  this  art  iu  minertdogy,  if  equal- 
ly a  question.    Gold,  silver,  copper,  &c.,  are  the  natural  product  of 


ft  :.4^    AMEEICAIV   ANTI«UITIBI       a 

(hwr  reip0ctive  ores ;  and  acddent  may  have  made  them  acquaint* 
•d  widk  these ;  as  iron  was  discovered  among  the  Greeks,  by  fire 
in  the  woods  haying  melted  the  ore.  But  brass  is  farther  removed 
from  the  knowledge  of  man,  in  general,  being  a  composition  of 
eoppet  and  the  calamine  stone,  or  ore  of  cine,  tiowever,  it  is  said 
by  Morse,  that  in  ChiU,  in  the  hills  of  Huilquilemu,  are  found 
ttincs  of  native  brass,  of  a  fine  yellow  co?our,  and  equally  malea- 
ble  with  the  best  artificial  brass  ;  yet  this  is  no  common  product  of 
mineralogy,  and  would  seem  to  be  an  exception,  or  rather  a  product 
extraordinary ;  and  in  a  measure  induces  a  belief  thut  it  is  not  pro- 
per brass,  but  a  metal  similar  only  in  complexion,  while  perhaps  its 
chemical  properties  are  entirely  diffisrent,  or  it  may  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  fusion  of  copper  and  the  ore  of  zinc,  by  the  fire  of 
some  volcanoe.        •  r:';.,^ -.  Vr>  !/• 

Brass  was  the  metal  out  of  which  the  ancient  nations  made  all 
their  instruments  of  war,  and  defensive  armour  :  the  reason  of  this 
preference  above  copper  and  iron,  even  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
was  probably  on  account  of  the  excessive  bright  polish  it  was  ca- 
pable of  receiving  ;  for  the  Greeks  and  Romans  used  it  long  after 
their  knowledge  of  iron.  Iron  was  discovered  by  the  Greeks  1406 
yeara  before  Christ.  The  ancient  Americans  must  have  derived  a 
knowledge  of  brass  from  their  early  acquaintance  with  nations  im- 
mediately succeeding  the  flood,  who  had  it  from  the  Antediluvians, 
by  way  of  Noah ;  and  having  found  their  way  tu  this  continent,  be- 
fore it  became  so  isolated,  as  it  is  at  the  present  time,  sunounded 
on  all  sides  by  oceans,  made  use  of  the  same  metal  here. 

But  the  tesselated  or  spotted  pavement  is  equally  curious  with 
the  brass  chain,  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  the  mosaicTpave- 
menM  of  the  Romans ;  being  small  pieces  of  marble,  of  various ' 
ooleura  with  which  they  ornamented  the  fronts  of  their  tt;nts  in 
title  of  war,  but  Were  taken  up  again  whenever  they  removed. — 
This  sort  of  pavement  is  often  dug  up  in  England,  and  is  of  Roman 
origin. 

We  find  the  history  of  the  ancient  Britons  mentions  the  curren- 
cy of  iron  ringii  as  money,  which  was  in  use  among  them,  before 
the^invasion  of  Julius  Cassar.  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  brass  chain, 
or  an  assemblage  of  those  rings,  as  found  in  this  mound,  may  have 
been  held  among  those  ancients  of  America  in  the  same  estimation ; 
the  ebain,  in  their  mode  of  reckoning,  being  perhaps  of  an  immense 


AND  DMCOTBKIES  IM  THE   WB«T. 


MDOUDt ;  its  being  found  deposited  with  its  owner,  who  w*s  a  chief 
or  king,  is  the  evidence  of  its  peculiar  value,  whether  it  bad  been 
used  as  an  article  in  trade,  or  as  a  sacred  implement.        t  !v.  f,  v,  %'; 

This  maculated  pavement,  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  re> 
present  in  full  size,  the  chief,  king,  or  monarch,  who  was  interred 
beneath  it,  shows  the  knowledge  that  people  had  of  painting,  sculp-' 
ture,  and  descriptive  delineation :  but  most  of  all,  the  serpent, 
which  lay  coiled  at  his  feet,  is  surprising,  because  we  suppose  this 
transaction  could  not  have  happened  from  mere  caprice,  or  the  sport 
of  imagination.    >^i  '^■■^''>'t:Uit•^'AAA  *■  li?>t{  ^v*?!-,?)  ~<<it.-'h'iiuk  )u  ".;.-,>:■ 

It  must  have  been  a  trait  of  their  theology,  and  possibly  an  allu- 
sion to  the  serpent,  by  whose  instrumentality  Satan  deceived  the 
first  woman,  the  mother  of  us  all :  and  its  being  beneath  his  feet, 
may  also  have  alluded  to  the  promised  Seed,  who  was  to  brmw 
the  SerpenOs  head ;  all  of  which  may  easily  have  been  derived 
from  the  family  of  Noah,  and  carried  along  with  the  millions  of 
mankind,  as  they  diverged  asunder  from  mount  Ararat,  around  the 
wide  earth.  The  Mexicans  are  found  to  have  a  clear  notion  of  tliis 
thing,  and  of  many  other  traits  of  the  early  history  of  man,  as  re- 
lated in  the  Hebrew  records,  and  the  Scriptures:  preserved  in  their 
traditions  and  paintings,  as  we  shall  show  in  another  place. 

The  etching  on  the  square  sides  of  those  rings  of  brass,  in  char- 
acters resembling  Chinese,  shows  the  manufacturer,  and  the  nation 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  to  have  had  a  knowledge  of  engrav- 
ing, even  on  the  metals,  equal  with  artists  at  the  present  time,  of 
which  the  common  Indian  of  the  west,  knows  nothing. 

The  stone  hatchet,  flint,  and  bone  arrow  points,  found  in  this 
tomb,  are  no  exclusive  evidence  that  this  was  all  done  by  the  mod- 
em Indians :  because  the  same  are  found  in  vast  profusion  in  all 
parts  of  the  old  world,  particularly  in  the  Island  of  England  ;  and 
have  been  in  use  from  remotest  antiquity.  '         *♦'  '^'"sii^'sif^^/ 

We  are  very  far  from  belieying  the  Indians  of  the  present  time, 
to  be  the  aborigines  of  America ;  but  quite  the  contrary,  are  usurp- 
pers,  have  by  force  of  bloody  warfare,  exterminated  the  original  in- 
habitants, taking  possession  of  their  country,  property,  and  in  some 
few  instances,  retaining  arts,  learned  of  those  very  nations. 

The  immense  sea  shell,  which  was  fourteen  inches  long,  and 
twenty-three  inches  in  circumference,  found  in  this  tomb,  is  evi- 
dence of  this  people's  having  an  acquaintance  with  other  parts  of 


111 


i 


■* 


M 


'V^n 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITICf 


the  world  than  merely  their  own  dwellings,  because  the  shell  is  m 
marine  production,  and  the  nearest  place  where  this  element  it 
found,  from  the  Muskingum,  is  nearly  a  thousand  miles  in  a  strait 
line,  east  of  the  Atlantic.  >>i  rif^au:i'.<M'  'itinaitr.uA  lv.rt«i'> ''fi(«  t^A'X_ ' 

If  the  engraving  on  this  chain,  be  in  fact  Chinese,  or  if  they 
bear  a  strong  and  significant  analogy  to  them,  it  justifies  the  opinion 
that  a  communication  between  America  and  Asia,  by  means  of  land 
on  the  west,  once  existed,  but  has  been  destroyed  by  some  convul- 
sion in  nature.  And  also  the  characters  on  those  rings  show  the 
ancient  Americans  to  have  had  a  knowledge  of  letters.  A  knowl- 
edge of  letters,  hieroglyphics,  pictures  of  ideas,  and  of  facts,  was 
known  among  men,  200  years  before  the  time  of  Moses,  or  1822 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  among  the  Egyptians.  Nations  of 
men,  therefore,  having  at  an  early  period,  found  their  way  to  this 
continent,  if  indeed  it  was  then  a  separate  continent ;  consequent- 
ly to  find  the  remains  of  such  an  art,  scattered  here  and  there  in 
the  dust  and  ashes  of  the  nations  of  America,  passed  away,  is  not 
surprising.  The  mound  which  we  have  described,  was  appre- 
hended by  Mr.  Ash,  to  be  only  an  advanced  guard  post,  or  a  place 
of  look  out,  in  the  direction  of  the  Muskingum  and  the  valley  of 
the  Ohio ;  accordingly  he  wandered  farther  into  the  woods,  in  a 
uorthwestedy  direction,  leaving  on  his  right  the  Muskingum,  whose 
course  was  northeast  by  southwest.  ,-...,?>>  »;n  » ,• ,» *.-.« , 

His  research  in  that  direction  had  not  long  been  continued,  be- 
fore he  discovered  strong  indications  of  his  conjecture.  He  had 
come  to  a  small  valley  between  two  mountains ;  through  which  a 
small  creek  meandered  its  way  to  the  Muskingum. 

On  either  side  of  the  stream  were  evident  traits  of  a  very  large 
aettlement  of  antiquity.  They  consisted,  first,  of  a  tea//  or  ram- 
part of  earth,  of  almost  nine  feet  perpendicular  elevation,  and  thirty 
feet  across  the  base.  The  rampart  was  of  a  semicircular  form,  its 
entire  circuit  being  three  hundred  paces,  or  something  over  eigh- 
teen rods,  bounded  by  the  creek.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream  was  another  rampart,  of  the  same  description,  evidently  an- 
swering to  the  first ;  these  viewed  together,  made  one  grand  circle, 
of  more  than  forty  rods  circumference,  with  the  creek  running  be- 
tween. V-«l'   .   li       !',I'-.iVfri':i      :,   ,■>        -."A  An  ■•..  r       ,.'■•    TV,.'.'-!        -I^'/ 

After  a  minute  examination,  he  perceived  very  visibly  the  re- 
main! of  elevated  stone  abutments,  which  being  exactly  opposite 


ie> 


was 


in  a 


iND  OlICOVKftlKI  IN  TBB   WKtr-  ft 

«aeli  other,  auggeated  the  belief,  that  theae  bridgea  once  iMnnected 
the  two  aemicirdea;  one  in  the  centre,  and  one  on  either  aide,  at 
the  extreme  edges  of  the  ring.  The  timber  gro>¥ing  on  the  raro<' 
part  and  within  the  circle,  was  principally  red  oak,  of  great  age 
and  magnitude,  some  of  the  trees,  being  in  a  state  of  decay,  were 
not  less  than  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and  twenty-one  in  circum- 
ference. 

Some  considerable  farther  up  the  brook,  at  the  spot  where  the 
beautiful  vale  commences,  where  the  mountain  rises  abruptly,  and 
discharges  from  its  cleft  bosom  the  delightful  creek,  are  a  great 
number  of  moundt  of  earth,  standing  at  equal  distances  from  each 
other,  forming  three  grand  circles,  one  beyond  the  other,  cut  ia  two 
by  the  creek,  as  the  one  described  before,  with  streets  situated  be^ 
tween,  forming,  as  do  the  mounds,  complete  circles.  Here,  as  at 
the  other,  the  two  half  circles  were  united,  as  would  appear^  by 
two  bridges,  the  abutments  of  which  are  distinct,  ao  perfect  are 
their  remains.  •"       ...«.«  .  ,'*  ■  • 

At  a  considerable  distance,  on  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  are  two 
mounds  or  barrows,  which  are  nearly  thirty  feet  long,  twelve  high, 
and  seventeen  wide  at  the  base.  These  barrows  are  composed 
principally  of  stone  taken  out  of  the  creek,  on  which  are  growing 
also  very  heavy  timber.  Here  were  deposited  the  dead,  who  had 
been  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  in  the  vale.  From  which  it  ap- 
pears that  the  mounds  forming  those  circles,  which  were  sixty  in 
numbei,  are  not  tumuli,  or  the  places  where  chiefs  and  distinguish- 
ed warriors  were  entombed,  but  were  the  houses,  the  actual  dwell- 
ings of  the  people  who  built  fthem,  however,  the  distinguished 
dead  were  interred  in  tumuli  of  the  same  form  fr(  ;  frntly,  but  much 
more  magnificent  and  lofty,  ard  are  fewer  in  numt  er,  situated  on 
the  highest  grounds  adjacent  to  their  towns.       ,  ^ 

But  it  may  be  enquired,  how  could  those  mounds  of  earth  have 
ever  been  the  dwellings  of  families  ?  There  is  but  one  way  to  ex- 
plain it.  They  may  have,  at  the  time  of  their  construction,  re' 
ceived  their  peculiar  form,  which  is  a  conical  or  sugar  loaf  form,  by 
the  erection  of  long  poles  or  logs,  set  up  in  a  circle  at  the  bottom, 
and  brought  together  at  the  top,  with  an  opening,  so  that  the  smoke 
might  pass  out.  Against  this  the  earth,  (being  brought  from  a  dis- 
tance, so  as  not  to  disturb  the  even  surface  of  the  spot  chosen  t« 
build  on,)  was  thro^vn,  till  the  top  and  sides  were  entirely  envelop- 


AMRMCAM  ANTiqUITIia 


L# 


«d.  Hiu  operation  woald  natunlly  cause  the  bottom,  w  but,  to 
be  of  greet  thicknen,  caused  by  the  natural  sliding  down  of  tbc 
earth,  as  it  was  thrown  on  or  against  the  timbers;  and  this  thiek- 
MIS  would  be  in  exact  proportion  with  the  height  of  thftpoleii  at 
the  ratio  of  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees-  >'  .'4^-.<fi  •:^ifiJ-i'.ri.' 

In  this  way  a  dwelling  of  the  most  secure  description,  would  be 
the  result ;  such  as  could  not  be  easily  broken  through,  nor  set  on 
fiit,  and  in  winter  would  be  warm,  and  in  summer  cool.  It  is  true, 
such  rooms  would  be  rather  gloomy,  compared  with  the  magnifi- 
cent and  well  lighted  houses  of  the  present  times,  yet  acowded 
well  with  the  usages  of  antiquity,  when  mankind  lived  in  cfams 
and  tribes,  but  few  in  number,  compared  with  the  present  popu- 
loQsnesf  of  the  earth,  and  stood  in  fear  of  invasion  from  their  neigh- 
bours. 

Such  hbuiel,  is^eie,  built  in  circles  of  wood  at  fraty  and  kutfyt 
of  stone,  as  the  knowledge  of  architecture  came  on,  were  used  by 
the  ancient  inhabitcuts  of  Britain,  Wales,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and 
on  the  continent,  as  in  Norway.  No  mode  of  building  which  can 
be  conceived  of,  would  more  effectually  shutout  the  wind.  "Houses 
of  this  form,  made  with  upright  stones,  are  even  now  common 
over  all  the  Danish  dominions."  See  Morse^$  Geographify  volume 
1,  page  158. 

In  the  communication  of  Mr.  Moses  Fiske,  of  Hillham,  Tennes- 
see, to  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  1815,  respecting  the  re- 
mains and  discoveries  made  relative  to  antiquities  in  the  west,  but 
especially  in  Tennessee,  says,  that  the  description  of  mounds,  whe- 
ther round,  square  or  oblong  in  their  shapes,  which  have  flat  tops, 
were  the  most  magnificent  sort,  and  seem  contrived  for  the  purpose 
of  building  temples  and  castles  on  their  summits ;  which  being 
thai  elevated,  were  very  imposing,  and  might  be  seen  at  a  great 
distance. 

"  Nor  must  we,  he  continues,  mistake  the  ramparts  or  fortifica- 
tions, for  farming  iaclosures;  what  people,  savage  or  civilized,  ever 
fenced  tiieir  grounds  so  preposterously  ;  bearing  no  proportion  in 
quantity  necessary  for  tillage  ;"  from  which  the  support  of  a  whole 
country  was  expected ;  and  further  there  were  many  neighbour- 
hoods which  had  no  such  accommodations. 

He  has  also  discovered  that  within  the  areas  encompassed  by 
these  ramparts,  are  whole  ranges  of  foundations,  on  which  dwelling 


AlfD  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST.  Wf 

houMi  once  stood,  vrith  streets  runnijg  between,  besides  mounds 
and  other  works.  "  The  houses  generally  stood  in  rows,  nearly 
contiguous  to  each  other,"  as  in  all  compact  towns  and  cities,  though 
sdbetimet  they  stood  in  an  irregular  and  scattered  manner.  These 
ibundations  "  are  indicated  by  rings  of  earth,  from  three  to  five 
fathoms  in  diameter,"  which  is  equal  to  eighteen  and  thirty  feet ; 
the  remains  of  these  rings  or  foundations  are  from  ten  to  twenty 
inches  high,  and  a  yard  or  more  broad.  But  they  were  not  always 
circular ;  some  which  he  had  noticed,  were  square,  and  others  al- 
so, of  the  oblong  form,  as  houses  are  now  built  by  civilized  nations. 

"  The  flooring  of  some  is  elevated  above  the  common  level,  or 
surface ;  that  of  others  is  depressed.  These  tokens  are  indubita- 
ble, and  overspread  the  country ;  some  scattered  and  solitary,  but 
oftener  in  groups,  like  villages,  with  and  without  being  walled  in.'* 
From  which  it  is  clear,  that  whoever  they  were,  the  pursuits  of 
agriculture  were  indispensable,  aud  were  therefore  in  use  with 
those  nations. 

From  the  forms  of  the  foundations  of  dwellings,  discovered  and 
described  by  Mr.  Fiske,  we  conclude  they  were  the  eflforts  of  man 
at  a  very  early  period.  We  are  directed  to  this  conclusion  by  the 
writings  of  Vetruvius,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Julius  Ciesar,  and 
is  the  most  ancient  vniter  on  the  subject  of  architecture,  tliat  anti- 
quity can  boast  of.     His  account  is  as  follows  : 

"  At  first,  for  the  walls,  men  erected  forked  stakes,  and  disposing 
twigs  between  them,  covered  them  with  loam  ;  others  pulled  up 
clods  ot  clay,  binding  them  with  wood,  and  to  avoid  rain  and  heat, 
they  made  a  covering  with  reeds  and  boughs  ;  but  finding  that 
this  roof  could  not  resist  the  winter  raiiis,  they  made  it  sloping, 
pointed  at  the  top,  plastering  it  over  with  clay,  and  by  that  means 
discharging  the  r?:ri  water.  To  this  day,  says  Vetruvius,  some  fo- 
reign nations  construct  their  dwellings  of  the  same  kind  of  mate- 
rials, as  in  Gaul,  Spain,  Lusitania,  and  Aquituin.  The  Colchins,  in 
the  kingdom  of  Portugal,  where  they  abound  in  forests,  fix  trees  in 
the  earth,  close  together  in  ranks,  to  the  right  and  left,  leaving  as 
much  space  between  them,  from  corner  to  corner,  as  the  length  of 
the  trees  will  permit ;  upon  the  ends  of  these,  at  the  corners,  others 
are  laid  transversely,  which  circumclude  the  place  of  habitation  in 
the  middle  ;  then  at  the  top  the  four  angles  are  braced  together 
with  alternate  beams.    The  crevices,  which  are  large,  on  account 

13 


98 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


of  the  coarseness  of  the  moterisls,  are  stopped  with  chips- and  lowi' 
The  roof  is  also  raised  by  beams  laid  across  from  the  extreme  an* 
g\€»y  or  corners,  gradually  rising  from  the  four  sides  to  the  middle 
point  at  the  top,  (exactly  like  a  German  barrack  ;)  and  then  co- 
Tered  with  boughs  and  earth.    In  this  manner  the  barbarians,  sayft 
this  author,  made  their  roofs  to  their  towers."    By  the  barbarians, 
he  means  the  iDhabitants  of  Europe  at  the  time  when  he  wrote 
these  remarks,  which  was  in  the  reign  of  Julius  Ciesar,  a  short  time 
before  Christ.     The  Phrygians,  who  inhabit  a  champaign  country, 
being  destitute  of  timber,  select  natural  hills,  excavate  them,  dig 
an  entrance,  and  widen  the  space  witbin  as  much  as  the  nature  of 
the  place  will  permit ;  above  they  fix  stakes  in  a  pyramidal  form, 
bind  them  together,  and  cover  them  with  reeds  or  straw,  heaping 
thereon  great  piles  of  earth.     This  kind  of  covering  renders  them 
Tery  warm  in  winter  and  cool  in  summer.     Some  also  cover  the 
roofs  of  their  huts  with  weeds  of  lakes  ;  and  thus,  in  all  countries 
and  nations,  primeval  dwellings  are  formed  upon  similar  princi- 
ples."— Blake's  Alias ,  page  145. 

The  circular,  square,  and  oblong  form  of  foundations,  found  in 
the  west,  would  seem  to  argue  the  houses  built  thereon,  to  be  made 
in  the  same  way  this  author  has  described  the  mode  of  building 
in  his  time  among  the  barbarous  nations ;  and  also  furnishes  reason 
to  believe  them  to  have  been  made  here  in  America,  much  in  the 
same  ages  of  the  world. 

Having  this  knowledge  of  the  mode  of  ancient  building,  we  are 
led  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  town  which  we  have  jusl  given  an 
account  of,  was  a  clan  of  some  of  the  ancient  Celtic  nations,  who 
by  some  means  had  found  their  way  to  this  part  of  the  earth,  and 
had  fixed  their  abode  in  this  secluded  valley.     Celtic  or  Irish,  as 
Mr.  Morse  says,  who  were  derived  from  Gaul,  or  Galatia,  which 
is  now  France,  who  descended  from  Gomer,  one  of  the  sons  of  Ja- 
pheth,  a  son  of  Noah  ;  to  whose  descendants  Europe,  with  its  isles, 
was  given.     And  whether  the  people  who  built  this  town  were  of 
Chinese  or  of  Celtic  origin,  it  is  much  the  same  ;  because  if  we 
go  far  enough  back  in  ages  of  past  time,  we  shall  find  they  were  of 
tiie  same  origin,  and  had  equal  opportunities  to  perpetuate  a  remem- 
brance of  the  arts,  as  known  among  men  immediately  after  the 
flood,  and  might  therefore  resemble  each  other  in  their  works. 
Here  we  may  suppose  the  gods  Odin,  Thor,  and  Friga,  were 


AISU    DIICOVCRIKS    IN    THE    WFKT. 


«dored  under  thu  oaks  compear  ^  American  forestn,  aa  taught  by  th« 
Druids ;  here  their  victims,  the  deer  and  buffalo,  sent  up  to  the 
skies  their  smoking  odour,  while  the  priests  of  the  forests,  invoked 
4he  blessing  of  the  beniiicent  being,  upon  the  votaries  of  the  myp' 
tic  Misleto.  Here  were  the  means  of  mutual  defence  and  safety 
discussed ;  the  sighs  of  the  lover  breathed  on  the  winds  ;  parents 
and  children  looked  with  kindness  on  each  other  ;  soothed  and 
bound  the  wounds  of  such  as  returned  from  the  uncertain  fate  of 
«lanular  battles  ;  but  have  been  swept  with  the  besom  of  extermi* 
Aatioo  from  this  vale,  while  no  tongue  remains  to  tell  the  story  of 
their  sufferings. 

At  the  distance  of  about  three  miles  higher  up,  and  not  far  from 
the  Muskingum,  says  Mr.  Ash,  he  perceived  an  eminence  very 
similar  to  the  one  just  described,  in  which  the  brass  chain  was 
found,  to  which  he  hastened,  and  immediately  perceived  their  like- 
ness  in  form.  .     .  ,•    > 

On  a  comparison  of  the  two,  there  could  be  but  one  opinion, 
namely,  that  both  were  places  of  look-out  for  the  express  projection 
of  the  settlement  in  the  valley.  He  says  he  took  the  pains  of  clear- 
ing the  top  of  the  eminence,  but  could  not  discover  any  stone  or 
mark  which  might  lead  to  a  supposition  of  its  being  a  place  of  in- 
terment. The  country  above  was  hilly,  yet  not  so  high  as  to  inter- 
cept the  view  for  a  presumed  distance  of  twenty  miles. 

On  these  eminences,  the  "  beacon  fires''''  of  the  clan,  who  resided 
in  the  valley,  may  have  been  kindled  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  to 
show  those  who  watched  the  portentous  flame,  the  advance  or  de- 
structio;!  of  an  enemy.  Such  fires,  on  the  heights  of  Scotland  were, 
wont  to  be  kindled  in  the  days  of  Bruce  and  Wallace,  and  ages 
before  th"teir  time,  originated  from  the  Persians  possibly,  who  wor- 
shipped in  this  way  the  great  Oramai^e,  as  the  god  who  made  all 
things.  The  idea  of  a  Creator,  was  borrowed  from  Noah,  who  re- 
ceived the  account  of  the  creation  from  Seth,  who  had  it  from  Adam  ; 
and  Adam  from  the  Almighty  himself. 

From  this  excursion  our  traveller,  after  having  returned  to  Mari- 
etta, pursued  his  way  to  Zauesviile,  on  the  Muskingum  river,— 
where,  learning  from  the  inhabitants  that  the  neighborhood  was 
surrounded  with  the  remains  of  antiquity,  he  proceeded  to  the  ex- 
amination of  them,  having  obtained  a  number  of  persons  to  accom- 
pany him  with  the  proper  implements  of  excavation.     They  pene- 


100 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


tnted  tlie  woodB  in  a  westerly  direction,  to  a  place  known  to  those 
Tvho  accompanied  him,  about  five  miles  distance,  where  tlie  ruins 
of  ancient  times  were  numerous  and  magnificent  in  the  highest 
degree  ;  consisting  of  mounds,  barrows  and  ramparts,  but  of  such 
variety  and  form,  and  covering  so  immense  a  track  of  ground,  that 
it  would  have  taken  at  least  ten  days  to  have  surveyed  them 
minutely. 

These  immense  works  of  the  ancients,  it  appears,  were,  in  thu 
place^  encompassed  by  outlines  of  an  entirely  different  ahape  from 
Any  other  described,  being  of  the  triangular  form,  and  occnjving 
the  whole  plain,  situated  as  the  one  before  described,  in  a  place 
nearly  surrounded  by  mountains- 

But  we  pass  over  many  incidents  of  this  traveller,  and  come  im- 
mediately to  the  object  of  his  research,  which  was  to  open  such  of 
those  moil  lids  as  might  attract  his  attention.  His  first  operation 
was  to  penetrate  the  interior  of  a  large  barrow,  situated  at  one  ex- 
tremity of  the  vale,  which  was  its  southern.  Three  feet  below  the 
surface  was  fine  mould,  underneath  which  were  small  flat  stones, 
lying  in  regular  strata  or  grave^  brought  from  the  mountain  in  the 
vicinity.  This  last  covered  the  remans  of  a  human  frame,  whieh 
fell  into  impalpable  powder  when  touched  and  exposed  to  air. 

Toward  the  base  of  the  barrow  he  came  to  three  tier  of  substan- 
ces, placed  regularly  in  rotation.  And  as  these  formed  two  rows 
four  deep,  separated  by  little  more  than  a  flag  stone  between  the 
feet  of  one,  and  the  head  of  another,  it  was  supposed  the  barrow 
contained  about  two  thousand  skeletons,  in  a  very  great  state  of 
decay,  whieh  shows  their  extreme  antiquity.  * 

In  this  search  was  foimd  a  well  carved  stone  pipe,  expressing  a 
beards  bead,  together  with  some  fragments  of  pottery  of  fine  tex- 
ture. Near  the  centre  of  the  whole  works,  another  opening  was 
affected,  in  a  rise  of  ground,  'scarcely  higher  than  a  natural  undu- 
lation, common  to  the  general  surface  of  the  earth,  even  on  ground 
esteemed  to  be  level.  But  there  was  one  .singularity  accompany- 
ing the  spot,  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  company,  and  this 
was,  there  was  neither  shrub  nor  tree  on  the  s]x)t,  although  more 
than  ninety  feet  in  circumference,  but  was  adorned  with  a  multi- 
tude of  pink  and  purple  flowers, 

They  rame  to  an  opinion  that  the  rise  of  ground  was  artificial, 
and  as  it  differed  in  form,  and  character,  from  the  common  mounds, 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


101 


they  resolved  to  lay  it  open,  which  was  soon  done,  to  a  level  with 
the  plain,  but  without  the  discovery  of  any  thing  whatever.  But 
as  Ash  hnd  become  vexed,  having  found  nothing  to  answer  his  ev 
peetations  in  other  openings  on  the  spot,  he  jumped  from  the  bank, 
in  ordei  to  take  a  spade  and  encourage  the  men  to  dig  somewhat 
deeper.  At  this  instant  the  ground  gave  way,  and  involved  the 
whole  company  in  earth  and  ruin,  as  was  supposed  for  the  moment  \ 
but  was  soon  followed  by  much  mirth  and  laughter,  as  no  persoq 
was  hurt  by  the  fall,  which  was  but  about  three  feet. 

Ash  had  great  difficulty  to  prevail  on  any  person  to  resume  the 
labour,  and  had  to  explore  the  place  himself,  and  sound  it  with  a 
pole,  before  any  man  would  venture  to  aid  him  further,  on  account 
of  their  fright. 

But  they  soon  resumed  their  courage,  and  on  examination  found 
that  a  parcel  of  timbers  had  given  way,  which  covered  the  orifice 
of  a  square  hole,  seven  feet  by  four,  and  four  feet  deep.  That  it 
was  a  sepulchre,  wn?  unanimously  agreed,  till  they  found  it  in  vain 
to  look  for  bones,  or  any  substance  similar  to  them,  in  a  state  of  de- 
composition. They  soon,  however,  struck  an  object  which  would 
neither  yield  to  the  spade,  nor  emit  any  sound ;  but  persevering 
still  further,  they  found  the  obstruction,  which  was  uniform  through 
the  pit,  to  proceed  from  rows  of  large  spherical  bodies,  at  first  taken 
to  be  stones. 

Several  of  them  were  cast  up  to  the  surface ;  they  were  exactly 
alike,  perfectly  round,  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  about  twenty 
pounds  weight.  The  superfices  of  one,  when  cleaned  and  scraped 
with  knives,  appeared  like  a  ball  of  base  metal,  so  strongly  im- 
pregnated  with  the  dust  of  gold,  that  the  baseness  of  the  metal  it- 
self, was  nearly  altogether  obscured.  On  this  discovery,  the  cla- 
mour was  so  great,  and  joy  so  exuberant,  that  no  opinion  but  one 
was  admitted,  and  no  voice  could  be  heard,  while  the  cry  of  "  'tis 
gold !  'tis  gold  !"  resounded  through  the  groves. 

Having  to  a  man  determined  on  this  important  point,  they  formed 
a  council  respecting  the  distribution  of  the  treasure,  and  each  indi- 
vidual in  the  joy  of  his  heart,  declared  publicly,  the  use  he  intend- 
ed to  make  of  the  part  alloted  to  his  share. 

Tlje  Englishman  concluded  that  he  would  return  to  England,  be- 
ing sure  from  experience,  that  there  was  no  country  like  it.  A 
German  of  the  party  said  be  would  never  have  quitted  the  Rhin«, 


102 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I 


had  he  had  money  enough  to  rebuild  his  barn,  which  was  blown 
down  by  a  high  ^ind ;  but  that  he  would  return  to  the  very  spot 
from  whence  he  came,  and  prove  to  his  neighbors  that  he  loved  his 
country  as  well  as  any  man,  when  he  had  the  means  of  doing  well. 
An  Irishman  swore  a  great  oath;  the  day  longer  he'd  stay  in  Amer- 
ica ;  and  the  Indian  who  accompanied  Ash,  appeared  to  think  that 
were  he  to  purchase  some  beads,  rum  and  blankets,  and  return  to  his 
own  nation,  he  might  become  Sachem,  and  keep  the  finest  squaws 
to  be  found. 

Even  Ash  himself  saw  in  the  treasure  the  sure  and  ample  means 
of  continuing  his  travels  in  such  parts  of  the  earth,  as  he  had  not 
yet  visited.  The  company  returned  to  Zanesville  with  but  one  ball 
of  their  riches,  'vhile  they  carefully  hid  the  residue,  till  they  should 
subject  it  to  the  ordeal  of  fire 

They  soon  procured  a  private  room,  where,  while  it  was  receiv- 
ing the  trial  of  fire,  they  stood  around  in  silence  almost  dreading  to 
breathe.  The  dreadful  element,  which  was  to  confirm  or  consume 
their  hopes,  soon  began  to  exercise  its  various  powers.  In  a  few 
moments  the  ball  turned  black,  filled  the  room  with  sulphurous 
smoke,  emitted  sparks  and  intermitted  flames,  and  burst  into  ten 
thousand  pieces ;  so  great  was  the  terror  and  suffocation,  that  all 
rushed  into  the  street,  and  gazed  on  each  other,  with  a  mixed  ex- 
pression of  doubt  and  astonishment. 

The  smoke  subsided,  when  they  were  able  to  discover  the  ele- 
ments of  the  supposed  gold  ;  which  consisted  of  some  very  fine 
ashes,  and  a  great  quantity  of  cinders,  exceedingly  porous ;  the 
balls  were  nothing  but  a  eort  of  metal  called  spririte  or  pyrites,  and 
abounds  in  the  mountains  of  that  region. 

The  triangular  form  of  this  enclosure,  being  different  from  the 
general  form  of  those  ancient  works,  is  perhaps  worthy  of  notice, 
merely  on  the  account  of  its  form ;  and  might  be  supposed  to  be  of 
Chinese  origin,  as  it  is  well  known  that.the  triangular  shape  is  a 
favorite  one  of  the  nations  of  Hindostan ;  it  is  even  in  the  Hindoo 
theology,  significant  of  the  Trinity,  of  their  great  Brahamh,  or  god  j 
and  on  this  account,  might  even  characterise  the  form  of  national 
workc  such  as  we  have  just  described,  under  the  notion,  that  the 
divine  protection  would  the  more  readily  be  secured.    "  One  of 
the  missionaries  at  Peken,"  says  Adam  Clarke,  "  takes  it  for  grant- 
ed that  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity  was  known  among  the  ancient 


AKD'  tiiicovERlEir  iH  tut  Wz$t. 


\6i 


Cih\r  as  that  this  ^  character  was  its  symbol.  It  is  remarkable 
thai: .  >es  and  the  Prophets,  the  ancient  Chaldee  Targumists,  the 
authors  of  the  Zend  Avesta^  a  Chinese  book,  Plata,  a  celebrated 
philosopher  of  antiquity,  who  died  at  Athens,  348  B.  C,  anld  iHSd 
the  first  philosopher  of  Greece,  and  Pbilo  the  Jew,  should  all  coin- 
cide so  perfectly  in  their  ideas  of  a  Trinity,  in  the  Godhead.  Thi» 
eoald  not  be  the  effect  of  accident.  Moses  and  the  Prophets  !«- 
ceived  this  from  God  himself;  and  all  others  have  borrowed  fWntf 
this  first  origin. " —  Clarke.  ;.  < .  .   | ;  '•*> 

Fior  what  use  the  balls  of  which  we  have  given  an  account^  were 
designed,  is  impossible  to  conjecture,  whether  to  be  thrown  by 
means  of  engines,  as  practiced  by  the  Romans,  as  an  instrument  of 
warfare,  or  a  sort  of  medium  in  trade,  or  were  used  as  instruments, 
in  athletic  games,  either  to  roll  or  have, — who  can  tell  ?      ^  h-^'^    "' 

But  one  thing  respecting  them  is  not  uncertain,  they  must  haVd* 
been  of  great  value,  or  so  much  labour  and  care  would  ndt  have 
been  expended  to  secure  them.  Colonel  Ludlow,<of  Cincinnati,  a 
man,  it  is  said,  who  was  well  versed  in  the  hibiory  of  his  country,* 
though  now  deceased,  was  indefatigable  in  his  researches  after  the 
antiquities  of  America,  discovered  several  hundreds  of  those  bally 
of  pyrites,  weighing  generally  about  tweenty  pounds  each,  near  an' 
old  Indian  settlement,  on  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami,  of  the 
Ohio,  and  also  another  heap  in  an  artificial  cave,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Sciota,  consisting  of  copper  pyrites,  or  quartz. 

In  that  division  of  south  America,  called  Patagonia,  which  "ex- 
tends nearly  to  the  extreme  southern  point  of  that  country,  is  found 
a  people,  denominated  Patagonians,  who  are  of  a  monst9>us  size 
and  height,  measuring  from  six  to  seven  feet,  any  many  of  them  ap- 
proaching to  eight.  Among  this  people  is  found  an  instrument  of 
war,  made  of  heavy  stones,  wore  round  by  friction ;  so  that  in  ap- 
pearance, they  are  like  a  cannon  ball,  laese  they  contrive  to 
fasten  in  a  sling,  from  which  they  throw  them  with  great  dexterity 
and  force." — Morsels  Geo. 

This  kind  of  ball  was  used,  though  of  a  smaller  size,  to  capture, 
and  kill  animals  with.  The  manner  of  using  them  is  as  follows : 
they  take  three  of  those  balls,  two  of  them  three  inches,  and  one 
of  them  two  inches  in  diameter.  The  hunter  takes  the  small  ball 
in  his  riffht  hand,  and  swinaji  th**  other  twos  (which  are  connected 


V 


by  a  thong  of  a  proper  length,  fastening  also  to  the  one  in  his  hand). 


164 


iMCBIOAN  ANTIQUITlkC 


« 


V» 


round  hif  head,  till  a  sufficient  velocity  is  acquired,  at  the  same 
time  taking  aim,  when  it  is  thrown  at  the  legs  of  the  annimal  he 
b  pursuing,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  entangle  its  feet  by  the  rotary 
motion  of  the  balls ;  so  that  its  capture  is  easy. 

Conjecture  might  go  on  to  establish  it  as  a  fact,  that  these  balls 
of  pyrites,  found  in  many  parts  of  the  west,  were  indeed  a  war- 
like instrument,  thrown  by  a  sling,  out  of  which,  a  force  almost 
equivalent  to  that  of  powder,  might  be  dcquired  ;  and  from  the  top 
of  mounds,  or  form  the  sides  of  their  elevated  forts,  such  a  mode  of 
defence,  would  be  very  terrible. 

This  mode  of  fighting  was  known  to  the  Hebrews.  David  slew 
Goliath  with  a  stone  from  a  sling.  Seven  hundred  chosen  men  out 
of  Gibea,  could  sling  a  stone  at  an  hair's  breadth.  Job  speaks  of 
Uils  manner  of  annoying  wild  beasts,  where  he  is  recounting  the 
strength  of  Leviathan  :  "  Slinged  stones  iaire  turned  with  him  into 
stubble." 

Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  observations  on  the  use  and  force  of  the  sling, 
tre  very  interesting,  and  pertinent  to  the  subject.  They  are  found 
in  his  Commentary,  1st  Samuel,  chap.  xvii.  verse  40,  "  The  sling, 
both  among  the  G:.eks  and  Hebrews,  has  been  a  most  powerful 
offensive  weapon .  It  is  composed  of  two  strings  and  a  leather  strap ;" 
(or  as  among  the  Patagonians,  of  raw-hide,)  '^  the  strap  is  in  the 
middle,  and  is  the  place  where  the  stone  or  bullet  lies.  The  string 
on  the  right  end  of  the  strap,  is  firmly  fastened  to  the  hand ;  that 
on  the  left,  is  held  between  the  thumb  and  middle  joint  of  the  fore- 
finger. It  is  then  whirled  two  or  three  times  round  the  head ;  and 
when  di|charged,  the  finger  and  thumb  let  go  their  hold  of  the 
string.  The  velocity  and  force  of  the  sling  is  in  proportion  to  the 
distance  of  the  strap,  to  where  the  bullet  lies,  from  the  shoulder 
joint-  Hence  the  ancient  Balleares,  or  inhabitanis  of  Majorca  and 
Minorca,  islands  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  near  the  coasf  of  Spain, 
are  said  to  have  had  three  slings  of  different  lengths ;  the  longest 
they  used  when  the  enemy  was  at  the  greatest  distance  ;  the  mid- 
dle one  on  their  nearer  approach,  and  the  shortest,  when  they  came 
into  the  ordinary  fighting  distance  in  the  field.  The  shortest  is  the 
most  certain,  though  not  the  most  powerful. 

'^  The  Balleareans  are  said  to  have  one  of  their  slings  constantly 
boynil  «hnut  thf>ir  head  :  to  have  used  the  second  as  a  srirdle  :  and 
to  have  carried  the  third  always  in  their  hand. 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


195 


kt' 


^"^  In  the  use  of  the  sling,  it  requires  much  practice  to  hit  the 
nark ;  but  when  once  this  dexterity  is  acquired,  the  sling  is  nearly 
«s  fatal  as  the  ball  thrown  by  the  explosion  of  powder. 

"  David  was  evidently  an  expert  marksman  ;  and  his  sling 
^ave  him  greatly  the  advantage  over  Goliab ;  an  advantage  of  which 
the  giant  does  not  seem  to  have  been  aware.  He  could  hit  him 
within  any  speaking  distance  ;  if  he  missed  once,  he  had  as  many- 
chances  af  he  had  stones  ;  and  after  all,  being  unincumbered  with 
armour,  young  and  athletic,  he  could  have  saved  his  life  by  flight. 
But  David  saved  himself  the  trouble  of  running  away,  or  the  giant 
from  throwing  his  spear  or  javelin  at  hiifi,  by  giving  him  the  first 
blow. 

Goliah  was  terribly  armed,  having  a  spear,  a  shield,  and  a  sword ; 
besides,  he  was  every  where  invulnerable,  on  account  of  his  helmet 
of  brass,  his  coat  of  mail,  which  was  made  also  of  brass,  in  little 
pieces,  perhaps  about  the  size  of  a  half  dollar,  and  lapped  over 
each  other,  like  the  scales  of  fishes,  so  that  no  sword,  spear,  nor  ar- 
row could  hurt  him." 

This  coat  of  mail,  when  polished  and  bright,  must  have  been 
very  glorious  to  look  upon,  especially  when  the  sun,  in  his  bright- 
ness, bent  his  beams  to  aid  the  giant  warrior's  fulgent  habiliments 
to  illumine  the  field  of  battle,  as  the  wearer  strode,  here  and  there, 
among  the  trophies  of  death. 

The  only  spot  left,  where  he  could  be  hit  to  advantage,  was  his 
broad  giant  forehead,  into  which  the  stone  of  David  sunk,  from  its 
dreadful  impetus,  received  from  the  simple  sling.  To  some  this 
has  appeared  perfectly  improbable  ;  but  we  are  assured  by  ancient 
writers,  that  scarcely  any  thing  could  resist  the  force  of  the  sling. 

Diodorus  Siculus,  an  historian  who  flourished  in  the  time  of  Ju- 
lius Caesar,  a  short  time  before  Christ,  and  was  bom  in  the  island 
of  Sicily,  in  the  Mediterranean,  says,  the  people  of  the  islands  of 
Minorca  and  Majorca,  in  time  of  war,  could  sling  greater  stones 
than  any  other  people,  and  with  such  force,  that  they  seemed  as  if 
projected  from  a  capult"  an  engine  used  by  the  ancients  for  this 
purpose. 

Therefore  in  assaults  made  on  fortified  towns,  they  grievously 
wound  the  besieged,  and  in  battle,  they  break  in  pieces  the  shields, 
helmets,  and  every  species  of  armour,  by  which  the  body  is  de- 
fended,   it  would  seem  from  the  expertness  of  the  Patagonians 

14  ■    '"-? 


:jir 


->; 


106 


▲MEIICilN  ANtlQUITIGS 


evince  in  the  uie  of  the  sling,  that  they  may  have  been  derived 
from  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  those  islands,  who  could  as  easily 
have  found  their  way  out  of  the  Mediterranean  by  the  Strait  of 
Gibralter  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  be  driven  across  to  South 
America,  by  the  winds  from  the  east,  or  by  the  current  of  the  sea, 
as  the  Egyptians,  as  we  have  before  shown. 

The  sling  was  a  very  ancient  warlike  instrument ;  and  in^the 
hands  of  those  who  were  skilled  in  the  use  of  it,  it  produced  as- 
tonishing effects.  The  people  of  the  above  named  islands  were  the 
most  celebrated  slingers  of  antiquity.  They  did  not  permit  their 
children  to  eat  till  they  had  struck  down  their  food  from  the  top  of 
•  pole,  or  some  distant  eminence. 

'  Concerning  the  velocity  of  the  leaden  ball  thrown  out  of  the 
sling,  it  is  said  by  the  ancients,  to  have  melted  in  its  course.  Ovid, 
the  Roman  poet,  has  celebrated  its  speed,  in  the  following  beauti- 
ful verse  : 

"  Hermes  WM  fired,  as  in  the  clouds  he  hung  ; 
80  the  cold  bullet  that  with  fuiy  slung 
From  Balearic  engines,  mounts  on  high. 
Glows  in  the  whiri,  and  burns  along  the  sky." 

This  is  no  poetic  fiction.  Seneca,  the  stoic  philosopher  of  Rome, 
bom  A.  D.  12,  says  the  same  thing ;  the  ball  projected  from  the 
sling,  melts,  and  is  liquified  by  the  friction  of  the  air,  as  if  it  were 
exposed  to  the  acticm  of  fire." 

Vegetius,  who  lived  in  the  14th  century,  and  was  also  a  Roman, 
tells  us  that  "  slingers  could,  in  general,  hit  the  mark  at  six  hun- 
dred feet  distance,"  which  is  more  than  thirty  rods.  From  this 
view  we  see  what  havoc  the  western  nations,  using  the  sKng  or  en- 
(/tm,  to  throw  stones  from  their  vast  forts  and  mounds  vnth,  must 
have  made,  when  engaged  in  defensive  or  offensive  war. 


DiSCOVfiRY  OP  THE  REMAINS  OF  ANCIENT  POTTERY. 

On  the  subject  of  pottery  we  remark,  that  the  remains  of  this 
•rt  nn>  v(>nffnillv  found,  esneciallv  of  anv  extent,  in  the  neishbor- 
hood  of  Salt  springs^    It  is  true,  that  specimens  of  earthen  ware 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


107 


are  frequently  taken  out  of  the  ancient  barrows  of  the  dtad,  and 
also  are  frequently  brought  to  sight  on  the  shores  of  riyers,  where 
the  earth  has  been  suddenly  removed  by  inundations. 

A  few  years  since  an  instance  of  this  sort  occurred  at  Tawanda, 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  Susquehannah  had  risen  very  high,  at  the 
time  we  are  speaking  of,  and  had  undermined  the  bank  on  the  T»- 
wanda  shore,  to  a  considerable  extent,  at  the  high  water  mark.  On 
the  receding  of  the  waters,  the  bank  was  found  to  be  carried  away 
for  the  distance  of  about  six  rods,  when  there  appeared  several  fire 
places,  made  of  the  stones  of  the  river,  with  vessels  of  earthen,  of 
a  capacity  about  equal  with  a  common  water  pail,  in  a  very  good 
state  of  preservation.  "- 

Between  those  fire  places,  which  were  six  in  number,  were 
found  the  skeletons  of  several  human  beings,  lying  in  an  undis- 
turbed position,  as  if  they,  when  living,  had  fallen  asleep,  and  re- 
ver  waked;  two  of  these,  in  particular,  attracted  attention,  and 
excited  not  a  little  surprise  ;  they  were  lying  side  by  side,  with 
the  arm  of  one  of  them  under  the  neck  of  the  other,  and  the  feet 
were  mingled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  indrce  the  belief  that  when 
death  came  upon  them,  they  were  asleep  in  each  other's  embraces. 
But  in  what  manner  they  came  to  their  death,  so  that  they  appear- 
ed not  to  have  moved,  from  the  fatal  moment,  till  the  bank  of  Ta- 
wanda  was  carried  away,  which  had  covered  them  for  ages,  is 
strange  indeed. 

It  cannot  be  supposed  they  died  all  at  once,  of  some  sickness,  or 
that  an  enemy  surprised  them  while  sleeping,  and,  silently  passing 
from  couch  to  couch,  inflicted  the  deadly  blow ;  because  in  any  of 
these  ways,  their  bones,  in  the  convulsions  of  dissolution,  must  have 
been  deranged,  so  that  the  image  and  peaceful  posture  of  sleepers 
could  not  have  characterised  their  positions,  as  they  were  found  to 
have.  It  was  conjectured,  nt  the  time  of  their  discovery,  that  the 
period  of  their  death  had  been  at  the  season  of  the  year  when  that 
river  breaks  up  its  ice;  in  March  or  April,  the  river  they  supposed, 
may  have  been  dammed  up  below  them,  where  it  is  true,  the  stream 
narrows  on  the  account  of  the  approach  of  the  mountains.  Here 
the  ice  having  jammed  in  between,  caused  a  sudden  rise  of  the 
river,  and  setting  back,  overflowed  them. 

But  this  cannot  be  {)Ossiblc,  as  the  noise  of  the  breaking  ice  would 
never  allow  them  to  sleep ;  this  operation  of  nature  is  accompanied 


108 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


tvith  a  tremendous  uproar  and  grandeur,  tearing  and  rending  the 
shores  and  forests  that  grow  on  them,  multiplying  crash  on  crash^ 
with  the  noise  of  thunder.  Neither  can  it  be  well  supposed  the 
waters  came  over  them  in  the  way  suggested,  even  if  they  had 
slept  during  the  scene  we  have  just  described,  because  on  the  first 
touch  of  the  waters  to  their  bodies,  they  vvould  naturally  spring 
from  their  sleep  in  surprise. 

Something  must  have  happened  that  deprived  them  of  life  and 
motion  in  an  instant  of  time.  This  is  not  impossible,  because  at 
Herculaneum  and  Pompeii  ,are  found  ,where,  in  digging,  they  have 
penetrated  through  the  lava,  down  to  those  ancient  cities,  laying  bare 
streets,  houses  and  temples,  with  their  contents,  such  as  have  sur- 
vived the  heat  which  ruined  those  cities — skeletons,  holding  be- 
tween their  fingers,  something  they  had  in  their  hands  at  the  mo- 
ment of  their  death,  so  that  they  do  not  appear  even  to  have 
struggled. 

Something  of  the  same  nature,  as  it  respects  suddenness^  must 
have  overtaken  these  sleepers  ;  so  that  their  natural  positions  were 
not  disturbed.  If  the  place  of  their  dwellings  had  l^een  skirted  by 
a  steep  bank  or  hill,  it  might  then  have  been  supposed  that  a  land 
sHp  or  mine  spring^  had  buried  them  alive,  but  this  is  not  the  case. 
They  were  about  four  feet  under  gi-ound,  the  soil  which  covered 
them  was  the  same  alluvial  with  the  rest  of  the  flat ;  it  is  a  myste- 
ry, and  cannot  be  solved,  unless  we  suppose  an  explosion  of  earthy 
occasioned  by  an  accumulation  of  galvanic  principles,  which,  burst- 
ing the  earth  near  them,  suddenly  buried  them  alive. 

Dr.  Beck,  the  author  of  the  Gazetteer  of  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
suggests  the  cause  of  the  earthquakes  in  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, in  1811  and  1812,  which,  in  many  places,  threw  up,  in  an 
instant,  vast  heaps  of  t^'arth ;  to  have  been  the  principle  of  galvin- 
ism  bursting  from  the  depths  beneath,  in  a  perpendicular  direction, 
overwhelming,  in  a  moment  of  time,  whatever  might  be  asleep,  or 
awake,  wherever  it  fell. 

Further  down  the  Susquehannah,  some  thirty  on  forty  miles  be- 
low Tawanda,  at  a  place  called  the  Black-walnut  Bottom,  on  the 
farm  of  a  Mr.  Kinney,  was  discovered  a  most  extraordinary  speci- 
men oi  pottery. 

Respecting  this  discovery,  the  owner  of  the  farm  relates,  as  we 
are  inforraed,  by  a  clergyman,  who  examined  the  article  on  the 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


109 


spot,  though  in  a  broken  state,  that  soon  after  the  first  settlements 
on  that  river,  and  especially  on  that  farm,  a  great  freshet  took  place 
which  tore  a  channel,  in  a  certain  direction,  across  the  flat,  when 
the  vessel  which  we  are  about  to  describe,  was  brought  to  light. 

It  was  ttvelve  feet  across  the  top,  and  of  consequence,  thirty-six 
feet  in  circumference^  and  otherwise  of  proportionable  depth  and 
form.  Its  thickness  was  three  inches,  and  appeared  to  be  made  of 
some  coarse  substance,  probably  mere  chy,  such  as  might  be  found 
on  the  spot,  as  it  was  not  glazed.  Whoever  its  makers  were,  they 
must  have  manufactured  it  on  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  as  it 
must  have  been  impossible  to  move  so  huge  a  vessel.  They  may 
have  easily  effected  its  construction,  by  building  it  up  by  degrees, 
with  layers  put  on  in  succession,  till  high  enough  to  suit  the  enor- 
mous fancy  of  its  projectors,  and  then  by  piling  wood  around,  it 
might  have  been  burnt  so  as  to  be  fit  for  use,  and  then  proj^ed  up 
by  stones,  to  keep  it  from  falling  apart. 

But  who  can  tell  fur  what  use  this  vast  vessel  was  intended  ? 
conjecture  here  is  lost,  no  ray  of  light  dawns  upon  this  strange  rem- 
nant of  antiquity.  One  might  be  led  to  suppose  it  was  made  in 
imitation  of  the  great  Laver  in  the  court  of  Solomon's  Temple, 
which  was  seventeen  feet  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  fifty  two 
feet  six  inches  in  circumference,  and  eight  feet  nine  inches  deep. — 
2  Chron.  iv.  2. 

The  discovery  of  this  vast  specimen  of  earthen  ware,  is  at  any 
rate  a  singularity,  and  refers  to  some  age  of  the  world  when  the  in- 
habitants used  very  large  implements  of  husbandry.  If  there  had 
been  in  its  neighborhood  a  salt  spring,  as  there  are  often  found 
farther  west,  we  should  not  be  at  a  loss  to  know  for  what  purpose 
it  was  constructed. 

Remarkable  specimens  of  pottery  are  often  brought  up  from  very 
great  depths  at  the  salt  works  in  Illinois.  Entire  pots  of  a  very 
large  capacity,  holding  form  eight  to  ten  gallons,  have  been  disin- 
terred at  the  amazing  depth  of  eighty  feet ;  others  have  been  found 
at  even  greater  depths,  and  of  greater  dimensions. — Schoolcraft. 
Upon  this  subject  this  author  makes  the  following  remarks :  "  If 
these  antique  vessels  are  supposed  now  to  lie  in  those  depths 
where  they  were  anciently  employed,  the  surface  of  the  Ohio,  and 
consequently  of  the  Mississippi,  must  have  been  sixty  or  eighty 
feet  lower  than  they  are 


ttt  nrpcnnf 


to  enable  the  saline  water  to 


110 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


draiD  off;  and  the  ocean  itself  must  have  stood  at  a  lower  level,  or 
extended  in  an  elongated  gulf  up  the  present  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi." 

Many  are  of  the  opinion  that  much  of  this  re^on  of  country  once 
lay  beneath  large  lakes  of  water,  and  that  the  barriers  between 
them  and  the  ocean,  by  some  means,  are  broken  down,  when  a 
rush  of  water  swept  the  whole  country,  in  its  course  to  the  sea, 
bui-ying  all  the  ancient  nations,  with  the*,  works,  at  those  depths 
beneath  the  surface,  as  low  as  where  those  fragments  of  earthen 
ware  are  found.  The  bottom  of  those  lakes  is  also  supposed  to  be 
the  true  origin  of  the  immense  prairies  of  the  west ;  and  the  rea- 
son why  they  are  not,  long  since,  grown  over  with  forest  trees,  is" 
supposed  to  be,  because  from  the  rich  and  mucky  soil,  found  at  the 
bottO!n  of  those  lakes,  a  gras$  of  immense  length,  (ten  and  four- 
teen feet  high,)  peculiar  to  the  prairies,  immediately  sprang  up, 
before  trees  could  take  root,  and  therefore  hindered  this  effort  of 
nature.  And  as  a  reason  why  forest  trees  have  not  been  able  to 
gain  upon  the  prairies,  it  is  alledged  the  Indians  bum  annually  these 
boundless  meadows,  which  ministers  to  their  perpetuity.  Some  of 
those  prairies  are  hundreds  of  miles  in  length  and  breadth,  and  in 
burning  over  present,  in  the  night,  a  spectacle  too  grand,  sublime 
and  beautiful  fur  adequate  description  ;  belting  the  horizon  with  a 
rim  of  fire,  the  farthest  ends  of  whicti  seem  di|)|)ud  in  the  immeas- 
urable distance,  so  that  even  contemplation,  in  its  boldest  efforts,  is 
swallowed  up  and  rendered  feeble  and  powerless. 


A  CATACOMB  OF  MUMMIES  FOUND  IN  KENTUCKY. 


Lexington,  in  !iLentucky,  stands  nearly  on  the  site  of  an  ancient 
town,  which  was  of  great  extent  and  magnificence,  as  is  amply 
evinced  by  tlie  wide  range  of  its  circumvaUatory  works,  and  the 
quantity  of  ground  it  once  occupied. 

There  is  connected  with  the  antiquities  of  this  place,  a  catacomb, 

formed  in  the  bowels  of  the  limestone  rock,  about  fifteen  feet  be- 
lt. 


▲Nt>  OISCaVEIlIES  IN  TitB   WEST. 


Ill 


low  the  snrface  of  the  earth,  adjacent  to  the  town  of  Lexington. 
This  grand  object,  so  novel,  and  extrordinnry  in  this  country,  was 
discovered  in  seventeen  hundt^d  and  seventy-five,  by  some  of  the 
first  settlers,  whose  curiosity  was  elicited  by  something  remarkable 
in  the  character  of  the  stones  which  covered  the  entrance  to  the 
cavern  within.  They  removed  these  stones,  and  came  to  others  of 
singular  appearance  for  stones  in  a  natural  state ;  the  removal  of 
which  laid  open  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  deep,  gloomy,  and  terrific,  as 
they  supposed. 

With  augmented  numbers,  «nd  provided  with  light,  they  de- 
scended, and  entered,  without  obstruction ;  a  spacious  apartment, 
the  sides  and  extreme  ends  were  formed  into  nitches  and  compart- 
ments, and  occupied  by  figures  representing  men.  When  alarm 
subsided,  and  the  sentiment  of  dismay  and  surprise  permitted  fur- 
ther research  and  enquiry,  the'  figures  were  found  to  be  Mummies f 
preserved  by  the  art  of  embalming,  to  as  great  a  state  of  perfection, 
as  was  known  among  the  aneient  Egyptians,  eighteen  hundred  years, 
before  the  Christian  era ;  which  was  about  the  time  the  Israelites 
were  in  bondage  in  Egypt  when  this  art  was  in  its  highest  state  of 
perfection. 

Unfortunately  for  antiquity,  science,  and  every  thing  else  held 
sacred  by  the  illumined  and  learned)  this  inestimable  discovery  was 
made  at  a  period  when  a  bloody  and  inveterate  war  was  carried  on 
between  the  Indians  and  the  whites ;  and  the  power  of  the  natives 
was  displayed  in  so  savage  a  manner,  that  the  whites  were  filled 
with  the  spirit  cf  revenge.  Animated  by  this  vindictive  spirit,  the 
discoverers  of  the  catacomb,  delighted  to  wreak  their  vengence 
even  on  the  mummies,  supposing  them  to  be  of  the  same  Indian 
race  with  whom  they  were  at  war- 

They  dragged  them  out  to  the  open  air,  tore  the  bandges  openj 
kicked  the  bodies  into  dust,  and  made  a  general  bonfire  of  the  most 
ancient  remains  antiquity  could  boast.  The  descent  to  this  cavern 
is  gradual,  the  width  four  feet,  the  height  seven  only,  and  the 
whole  length  of  the  catacomb  was  found  to  be  eighteen  rods  and  a 
half,  by  six  and  a  half;  and  calculating  from  the  nitches  and  shelv- 
ings  on  the  sides,  it  was  sufficiently  capacious  to  have  contained  at 
least  two  thousand  subjects. 

I  could  never,  says  Mr.  Ash,  from  whose  travels  wfi  have  taken 
^  this  account,  learn  the  exact  quantity  it  contained ;  the  answers  to 


na 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUltiRS 


^1; 


the  itiifmiinn  which  he  made  respecting  it  were,  "  0  !  they  burnt 
up,  and  4Mlttffe4  hundreds  !"  Nor  could  he  arrive  at  any  knowl- 
edge of  the  fashion,  manner,  and  aj)parel  of  the  mummies,  or  re- 
ceive any  other  infonn  on  than  that  they  "  were  well  lapped  np^" 
appeared  sound,  and  consuiiifd  in  the  fire  with  a  rapjl  (lame.  But 
hot  bein(;  contented  with  the  uncertain  information  of  persons, 
tvho,  it  seems,  hut'  no  adequate  knowledge  of  the  value  of  this  dis- 
covery>  he  caused  the  cavern  to  be  (];Ieaned  for  such  fragments  as 
yet  remained  in  the  nitches,  on  it  shelving  sides,  and  from  the 
floor.  The  quantity  of  remains  thus  gathered  up,  amounted  to  for- 
ty or  fifty  baskets,  the  dust  of  which  was  so  light  and  pungent  as 
to  affect  the  eyes  even  to  tears,  and  the  nose  to  sneezing  to  a  troub- 
lesome degree. 

He  then  proceeded  on  a  minute  investigation  and  sepaiater^  Itom 
the  general  mass,  several  pieces  ot  human  limbs,  fragments  ol  bo- 
dies, solid,  sound,  and  apparently  capable  of  eternal  duration.  Id 
a  cold  state  they  had  no  smell  whatever,  but  when  submitted  to  the 
action  of  fire,  gave  out  an  agreeable  effluvia,  but  was  like  nothing 
in  its  fragrance,  to  which  he  could  compare  it. 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Ash  has  the  following  reflections :  "  How 
these  bodies  were  embalmed,  how  long  preserved,  by  what  natiqns, 
and  from  what  people  descended,  no  opinion  can  be  formed,  nor 
any  calculation  miufe,  but  what  must  result  from  speculative  fancy 
and  wild  conjectures.  For  my  part,  I  am  lost  in  the  deepest  igno- 
rance. My  reading  afibrds  me  no  knowledge ;  my  travels  no  light. 
I  have  neither  read  nor  known  of  any  of  the  North  American  In- 
dians who  formed  catacombs  for  their  dead,  or  who  were  acquaint- 
ed with  the  art  of  preservation  by  embalming. 

The  Egyptians,  according  to  Herodotus,  who  flourished  450 
years  before  Christ,  had  three  methods  of  embalming  ;  but  Diodo- 
rus,  who  lived  before  Christ,  in  the  time  of  Julius  Cxsar,  observes 
that  the  aacient  Egyptians  had  a  fourth  .  >-  >!'<  \  of  far  greater  supe- 
riority. That  methud  is  not  described  Vv  Th  '.  >•  <,  it  had  I  c  ^le 
extinct  in  his  time ;  and  yet  I  cannot  tL pressumptuous  to  con- 
ceive that  the  American  mummies  were  preserved  after  that  very 
manner,  or  at  least  with  a  mode  of  equal  virtue  and  eflect." 

The  Kentuckians  asserted,  that  the  features  of  the  face,  and  tlie 
for'  ^  of  the  whole  body  was  so  well  preserved,  that  they  must  have 
>)ecD  the  exact  representations  of  the  ouce  living  subjects. 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


113 


Thii  cavern  indecl  is  similar  to  those  found  in  Egypt,  where  the 
once  polished  and  puwerful  inhabitants  bestowed  theii  dead,  wrap- 
ped up  in  the  linen  'ptces  and  aromatics  ot  the  east.  It  is  prvba- 
ble  the  cave  where  these  were  found  was  partly  naturaV  and  partly 
artificial ;  having  i  "nd  it  suitai  >  to  their  purpose,  they  had  opened 
a  convenient  descent,  cleared  out  the  stoii'  ^  and  rocks,  and  fitted  it 
with  nitches  for  the  reception  of  those  they  had  embalmed. 

This  custom,  it  would  seem,  is  purely  Egyptian,  and  was  prac- 
tised in  the  earliest  age  of  their  national  existence,  which  was 
about  two  thousand  years  before  Christ.  Catacombs  aie  numerous 
all  over  Egypt,  vast  excavations  under  ground,  with  nitches  in 
their  sides  for  their  emjbalmed  dead,  exactly  such  as  the  on«  we 
have  described. 

Shall  we  be  esteemed  presumptuous,  if  we  hazard  the  opinion 
that  the  people  who  made  this  cavern,  and  filled  it  with  the  thou- 
sands of  their  embalmed  dead  were,  indeed,  from  Egypt-  If  they 
were  not,  whither  shall  we  turn  for  a  solution  of  th '^  mystery  ?  To 
what  country  shall  we  travel  where  are  the  archie\  es  of  past  ageS| 
that  shall  shead  its  light  here  ? 

If  the  Egyptians  were,  indeed,  reckoned  as  the  jir  it  of  nations ; 
for  so  are  they  spoken  of  even  in  the  Scriptures :  If  fn  >m  them  was 
derived  the  art  of  navigation,  the  knowledge  of  astronomy,  in  a 
great  degree,  also  the  unparalleled  invention  of  letterSf  ( from  whom 
it  is  even  probable  the  Phoenecians  derived  the  use  of  letters,)  with 
many  other  arts,  of  use  to  human  society ;  such  as  architecture, 
agriculture,  with  the  science  of  government,  &c.;  why  not  allow 
the  authi/rs  of  the  antiquated  works  about  Lexington,  together  with 
the  immense  catacomb,  to  have  been  indeed,  an  Egyptian  Cohny  ; 
seeing  the  art  of  embalming  which  is  peculiarly  characteriatic  of 
that  people,  was  found  there  in  a  state  of  perfection  not  e:xceeded 
bv  the  mother  country  itself. 

A  trait  of  national  practices  so  strong  and  palpable,  as  is  ^iiis  pe* 
culiar  art,  should  lead  the  mind,  without  hesitation,  to  a  belief  that 
wherever  the  thing  is  practised,  we  have  found  in  its  authors  either 
a  colony  direct  from  Egypt,  or  the  descendants  of  some  nation  of 
the  countries  of  Africa  acquainted  with  the  art. 

But  if  this  be  so,  the  qiiestion  here  arises,  how  came  they  in 
America,  seeing  the  nearest  point  of  even  South  America  approach- 
i:9  uo  ueafer  to  the  nearest  point  of  Africa,  than  about  leventeen 

15 


"X^ 


lU 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


i. 


hundred  miles.  Those  points  are,  first,  on  the  American  side,  Cape 
St.  Roque ;  and,  second,  on  the  African  side,  Cape  de  Yerd. 

But  such  is  the  mechanism  of  the  glohe,  and  the  operation  of  the 
waters,  that  from  the  west  coast  of  Africa  there  is  a  constant  cur- 
rent of  the  sea  setting  toward  South  America ;  so  that  if  a  vessel 
were  lost,  or  if  an  eastern  storm  had  driven  it  far  into  the  ocean,  or 
South  Atlantic ;  it  would  naturally  arrive  at  last  on  the  American 
tout.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  predicament  of  the  fleet 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  some  hundred  years  before  the  Christian 
era,  as  we  have  before  related. 

The  next  inquiry  to  be  pursued,  is,  whether  the  Egyptians  were 
ever  a  maritime  people,  or  rather  anciently  so,  sufficient  for  our  pur- 
pose? 

By  eonnilting  ancient  history,  we  find  it  mentioned  that  the 
Egyptians,  as  early  as  fourteen  hundred  and  eighty-five  years  be- 
fore Christ,  had  shipping,  and  that  one  Danus,  with  his  fifty  daugh- 
ters, sailed  into  Greece,  and  anchored  at  Rhodes ;  which  is  three 
thousand,  three  hundred  and  eighteen  years  back  from  the  present 
year,  1833.  Eight  hundred  and  eighty-one  years  after  the  land- 
ing of  this  vessel  at  Rhodes,  we  find  the  Egyptians,  under  the 
direction  of  Necho,  their  king,  fitting  out  some  Phoenicians  with  a 
vessel,  or  fleet,  with  orders  to  sail  from  the  Red  Sea,  quite  around 
the  continent  of  Africa,  and  to  return  by  the  Mediterranean,  which 
they  effected. 

It  is  easy  to  pursue  the  very  tract  they  sailed,  in  order  to  circum- 
navigate Africa  ;  sailing  fronl  some  port  on  the  Red  Sea,  they  pass 
down  to  the  Strait  of  Babelmandel,  into  the  Indian  Ocean  ;  thence 
south,  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  into  the  South  Atlantic ; — 
thence  north  along  the  African  coast  on  the  west  side,  which  would 
carry  them  all  along  opposite,  or  east  of  South  America. 

Pursuing  this  course,  they  would  pass  into  the  Mediterranean  at 
the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  so  on  to  Egypt,  mooring  at  Alexandria, 
on  the  south  end  of  the  Mediterranean ;  a  voyage  of  more  than  six- 
teen thousand  miles  ;  two  thirds  of  the  distance  round  the  earth. 
Many  ages  after  their  first  settlement  in  Egypt,  they  were  the  lead- 
ing nation  in  maritime  skill,  and  other  arts. 

It  is  true  that  a  knowledge  of  thd>  compass  and  magnet,  as  aids 
to  navigation,  in  Africa  or  Europe,  was  unknown  in  those  early 
Ages  ;  but  to  counterbalance  this  defect,  they  were  from  necessity 


'^^%' 


AlfD  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


Hi 


much  more  skilful  in  a  knowledge  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  as  guides 
to  their  courses,  than  men  are  at  the  present  day.  But  in  China,  it 
is  now  believed,  that  a  knowledge  of  the  magnet,  and  its  appli- 
cation to  the  great  purposes  of  navigation,  was  understood  before 
the  time  of  Abraham,  more  than  two  thousand  years  before  Christ, 
of  which  we  shall  give  a  more  particular  account  in  another  place 
of  this  work. 

But  if  we  cannot  allow  the  Egyptians  to  have  visited  South  Ame- 
rica, and  all  the  islands  between,  on  voyages  of  discovery,  which  by 
no  means  can  be  supposed  chimerical, .  we  are  ready  to  admit  they 
may  have  been  driven  there  by  an  eastern  storm ;  and  as  favouring 
such  a  cirsumstance,  the  current  which  sets  from  the  African  coast 
toward  South  America,  should  not  be  forgotten. 

If  it  be  allowed  that  this  mode  of  reasoning  is  at  all  conclusive, 
the  same  will  apply  in  favor  of  their  having  first  hit  on  the  coast  of 
the  West  Indies,  as  this  group  of  islands,  as  they  now  exist,  is  much 
more  favorable  to  a  visit  from  that  particular  part  of  Africa  called 
Egypt,  than  is  South  America. 

Egypt  and  the  West  Indies  are  exactly  in  the  same  latitude, 
that  is,  the  northern  parts  of  those  islands,  both  being  between 
twenty  and  thirty  degrees  north. 

Sailing  from  Egypt  out  of  the  Mediterranean,  passing  through 
the  Straits  of  Gibralter,  would  throw  a  vessel,  in  case  of  an  eastern 
storm,  aided  by  the  current,  as  high  north  as  opposite  the  Bahama 
islands.  A  blow  of  but,  a  few  days  in  that  direction,  would  be 
quite  sufficient  to  have  driven  an  Egyptian  vessel,  or  boat,  or  what- 
ever they  may  have  sailed  in,  entirely  on  to  the  coast  of  the  West 
Indies.  The  trade  winds  sweep  westward  across  the  Atlantic, 
through  a  space  of  60  or  60  degrees  of  longitude,  carrying  every 
thing  within  their  current  directly  to  the  American  coast. 

If  such  may  have  been  the  case,  thay  were,  indeed,  in  a  manner, 
on  the  very  continent  itself,  especially,  if  the  opinion  of  President 
Jefferson  and  others  be  allowed,  that  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  is 
situated  exactly  behind  those  islands,  west,  has  been  scooped  out 
by  the  current  which  makes  from  the  equator  toward  the  north. 

Kentucky  itself,  where,  we  think,  we  have  found  the  remains  of 
an  Egyptian  colony,  or  nation,  as  in  the  case  of  the  works  and  cat- 
in  latitude  but  five  degrees  north  hf  EffVDt. 


eomb  at  Lexington,  is 


So  that  whether  they  may  have  visited  America  on  a  voyage  of  ex- 


11« 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES! 


pIoratioD,  or  have  been  driven  on  the  coast  against  their  VfiW ;  in 
cither  case,  it  would  be  perfectly  natural  that  they  should  have  es- 
tablished themselves  in  that  region. 

Traits  of  Egyptian  manners  were  found  among  many  of  the  na- 
tions of  South  America,  mingled  with  those  who  appeared  to  be  of 
other  origin  ;  of  which  we  shall  speak  again  in  the  course  of  this 
work. 

But  at  Lexington  the  traits  are  too  notorious  to  allow  them  to  be 
other  than  pure  Egyptian,  in  full  possession  of  the  strongest  com- 
plexion of  their  national  character,  that  of  embalming,  which  wa» 
connected  with  their  reUgion. 

The  Mississippi,  which  disembogues  itself  into  the  Mexican 
Gulf,  is  in  the  same  north  latitude  with  Egypt,  and  may  have,  by 
its  likeness  to  the  Egyptian  Nile,  invited  those  adventurers  to  pur- 
sue its  course,  till  a  place,  suited  to  their  views  or  necessities,  may 
have  presented. 

The  ancient  Punic,  Phoenician,  or  Carthagenian  language,  is  all 
the  same  ;  the  characters  called  Punic,  or  Phoenician,  therefore, 
are  also  the  same.  A  fac  simile  of  those  characters,  as  copied  by 
Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  are  herewith  presented.     See  No.  4. 

No.  4 


No.  5 

They  were  discovered  in  the  island  of  Malta,  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean, which  was  anciently  inhabited  by  the  Phoenicians,  long  be- 
fore the  Romans  existed  as  a  nation.  These  characters  were  found 
engraved  on  a  stone,  in  a  cave  of  that  island,  in  the  year  1761, 
which  was  a  sepulchral  cave,  so  used  by  the  earliest  inhabitants. 
These  characters,  beiug  found  in  this  ancient  repository  ol  the 

dead,  it  is  believed  marks  the  place  of  the  burial  of  that  famous 
Carthaffen'ian  general.  Hannibal,  as  thev  exolicitlv  allude  to  that 
character.    The  reading  in  the  original  is  as  follows  : 


^■=fi?g,i.y-«; 


"■)' 


j,yj*irv  , 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  Ttlft  TVEST. 


lit 


*(  Chadar  Beth  olam  kabar  Chanibaal  Nakeh  becaleth  haveh, 
rachm  daeh  Am  beshuth  Chanilaal  ben  Bar  melee." 

Which,  being  interpreted,  is  :  "  The  inner  chamber  of  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  sepulchre  of  Hannibal,  illustrious  in  the  consummation 
of  calamity.  He  was  beloved.  The  people  lament,  when  array- 
ed in  order  of  battle,  Hannibal  the  son  of  Bar-Melee" 

This  is  is  one  of  the  largest  remains  of  the  Punic  or  Phoenician 
language  now  in  existence.  Characters  of  this  description  are  also 
found  on  the  rocks  in  Dighton,  Massachusetts,  near  the  sea. 

In  a  chain  of  mountains  between  the  rivers  Oronoco  and  Ama- 
zon, in  South  America,  are  found  engraved  in  a  cavern,  on  a  block 
of  granite,  characters  supposed  also  to  be  Punic  letters. 

A  fac  simile  of  which  is  presented  at  No.  5.  These  were  fur- 
nished by  Baron  Humboldt,  in  his  volume  of  researches  in  South 
America ;  between  which  and  those  given  us  above,  by  Dr  Clarke, 
it  is  easy  to  perceive,  a  small  degree  of  similarity. 

But  if  the  Phcenician  letters,  shown  at  Nos.  4  and  5,  are  highly 
interesting,  those  which  follow,  at  Nos.  1,  2,  and  3,  are  equally  so. 
These  are  presented  to  the  public  by  Professor  Rafinesque,  in  his 
Atlantic  Journal,  for  1832,  with  their  meaning.        . 

Under  figures  1  and  2,  are  the  African  or  Lybian  characters,  the 
primitive  letters  of  tlie  most  ancient  nations  of  Africa.  Under 
figure  3,  are  the  American  letters,  or  letters  of  Otolum,  an  ancient 
city,  the  ruins  of  which  are  found  in  South  America,  being  so  far, 
as  yet  explored,  of  an  extent  embracing  a  circumference  of  twenty- 
four  miles,  of  which  we  shall  again  speak  in  due  time.  '/: 
H  The  similarity,  which  appears  between  the  African  letters  and 
the  letters  of  America,  as  in  use  perhaps  two  thousand  years  before 
Christ,  is  almost,  if  not  exact,  showing,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  the 
same  nations,  the  some  languages,  and  the  same  arts,  which  were 
known  in  ancient  Lybia  or  Africa,  were  also  known  in  America  ; 
as  well  also  as  nations  from  old  China,  who  came  to  the  western 
coast  in  huge  vessels,  as  we  shall  show  in  this  work. 

We  here  subjoin  on  account  of  those  characters,  numbered  1,2,3, 
by  the  author.  Prof.  Rafinesque  ;  and  also  of  the  American  Glyphs^ 
which,  however,  are  not  presented  here  ;  they  are,  it  appears, 
formed  by  a  combination  of  the  letters  numbered  1,  2,  3,  and  re- 
sembling very  much,  in  our  opinion,  the  Chinese  characters,  when 


118 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


I '  ■:r 


r 


grouped,  or  eombined,  with  a  view  to  express  a  sentence  or  a 
paragraph,  in  their  language.     The  account  is  as  follows  : 

LYBIAN.        AMERICAN. 
No.  1.        2.  3. 


Ear. 

AIPS 

A. 

Eye.  ■ 

ESH. 

E. 

Nose. 

IFR. 

I. 

Tongu 

"..  OMBR. 

0. 

Hand. 

VULD. 

U. 

Earth. 

LAMBD. 

L. 

Sea. 

MAH. 

M. 

Air. 

NISP. 

N. 

Fire 

RASH. 

P. 

Sun. 

BAP. 

Bp. 

Moon. 

CEK. 

C.k. 

Mars. 

DOR. 

D.  t. 

Mer'y- 

■♦, 
Vepu.s. 

GOREG. 
UAF. 

V.  t 

* 
Saturn. 

SIASH. 

S.  sh 

Jupiter' 

FHEUE. 

Phz. 

3  i)  ^  ^ 


^- )  © ,  c^ 


m  w  ife.3!^* 


A     //  L^    □   \m] 


MA  □  /V-^^  \, 


ssu 


h. 


A.' 

EI. 

IZ. 

OW. 

UW 

IL. 

IM. 

IN. 

IR. 

IB.  ; 

UK. 
ID  ET 
IGH. 

VW. 

RS. 
iSH.     . 

uz. 


Letter  to  Mr.  Ciiampollion  on  the  Graphic  Systems  of  Ame- 
rica, and  the  Glyphs  of  Otoluji  of  Palenque,  in  Central 
America. — Elements  of  the  Glvphs. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  present  you  here  to  annexed,  a  tabular  and 
comparitive  view  of  the  Atlantic  alpliahets  of  the  2  Continents, 
with  a  specimen  of  the  Groups  of  Letters  or  Glyplis  of  the  monu- 
ments of  Otolum  or  Palenque  :  which  belong  to  my  7th  series  of 
graphic  signs,  and  are  in  fact  words  formed  bv  <rrouned  letters  or 
Elements  as  in  Chinese'  Characters  ;  or  somewhat  like  the  cyphers 


Vv  vv 

■  V'  C)  V 

8^  03 

8*-^ 

^  ^ 

^ 

111     S   UJ 

^f 


\.*- 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


ild 


uow  yet  io  use  among  us,  formed  by  acrostical  anagrams  or  combi- 
nations of  the  first  letters  of  words  or  names'. 

When  I  began  my  investigation  of  these  American  Glyphs,  and 
became  convinced  that  they  must  have  been  groups  of  letters,  I 
sought  for  the  Elementary  Letters  in  all  the  ancient  known  alpha- 
bets, the  Chinese  Sanscrit  and  Egyptian  above  all ;  but  in  vain. 
The  Chinese  characters  offered  but  few  similarities  with  these 
glyphs,  and  not  having  a  literal  but  syllabic  alphabet,  could  not 
promise  the  needful  clue.  The  Sanscrit  alphabet  and  all  its  de- 
rived branches,  including  even  the  Hebrew,  Phcenican,  Pelagic, 
Celtic  and  Cantabrian  alphabets  were  totally  unlike  in  forms  and 
combinations  of  grouping.  But  in  the  great  variety  of  Egyptian 
form  of  the  same  letters,  I  thought  that  I  could  trace  some  resem- 
blance with  our  American  Glyphs.  In  fact  I  could  see  in  them 
the  Egyptian  Cross,  Snake,  Circle,  Delta,  Square,  Trident,  Eye, 
Feather,  Fish,  Hand,  &c.,  but  sought  in  vain  for  the  Birds,  Lions, 
Sphynx,  Beetle,  and  100  other  nameless  signs  of  Egypt. 

However,  this  first  examination  and  approximation  of  analogy  ia 
Egypt  and  Africa  was  a  great  preliminary  step  in  the  enquiry.  I 
had  alway?  believed  that  the  Atlantes  of  Africa  have  partly  colo- 
nized America,  as  so  many  ancient  writers  have  affirmed ;  this  be- 
lief led  me  to  search  for  any  preserved  fragments  of  the  alphabets 
of  Western  Africa,  and  Lybia,  the  land  of  the  African  Atlantes  yet 
existing  under  the  names  of  Berbers,  Tuarics,  Shelluhs,  &c.  This 
was  no  easy  task,  the  Atlantic  antiquities  are  still  more  obscure 
than  the  Egyptian.  No  Champollion  had  raised  their  veil;  the 
city  of  Farawan,  the  Thebes  of  the  Atlantes,  whose  splendid  ruins 
exist  as  yet  in  the  Mountains  of  Atlas,  has  not  even  been  described 
properly  as  yet,  nor  its  inscriptions  delineated. 

However  I  found  at  last  in  Gramay  (Africa  lUustrata)  an  old  Ly- 
bian  alphabet,  which  has  been  copied  by  Purchas  in  his  collection 
of  old  alphabets.  I  was  delighted  to  find  it  so  explicit,  so  well 
connected  with  the  Egyptian,  being  also  an  Acrostic  Alphabet,  and 
above  all  to  find  that  all  its  signs  were  to  be  seen  in  the  Glyphs  of 
Otolura.  Soon  after  appeared  in  a  supplement  to  Claperton  and 
Denham's  travels  in  Africa,  another  old  and  obsolete  Lybian  alpha- 
bet, not  acrostical,  found  by  Denham  in  old  inscriptions  among  the 
Tuarics  of  Targih  and  Ghraat  west  of  Fezan :  which  although  un- 


lao 


iMkRlCAN  ANTIQUITIES 


IW 


like  the  first  had  yet  many  anal(^es,  and  also  with  the  American 
glyphs. 

Thinking  then  that  I  had  found  the  primitives  ''lements  of  these 
glyphs,  I  hastened  to  communicate  this  important  fact  to  Mr.  Du- 
ponceau  (in  a  printed  letter  directed  to  him  in  1828)  who  was 
struck  with  the  analogy,  and  was  ready  to  confess  that  the  glyphs 
tof  Palenque,  might  be  alphabetical  words ;  although  he  did  not 
believe  before  that  any  American  alphabets  were  extant.  But  he 
could  not  pursue  my  connection  of  ideas,  analogies  of  signs,  lan- 
j^uages  and  traditions,  to  the  extent  which  I  desired  and  now  am 
able  to  prove. 

To  render  my  conclusions  perspicuous,  I  must  divide  the  subject 
into  several  pr^rts :  directing  my  enquiries  1st.  on  the  old  Lybian 
alphabet.  2dly.  On  the  Tuaric  alphabet  3dly.  On  their  ele- 
ments in  the  American  glyphs.  4thly.  On  the  possibility  to  reed 
Ibem.  While  the  examhtation  of  their  language  in  connection 
with  the  other  Atlantic  languages,  will  be  the  theme  of  my  third 
letter.  '  .    . 

I.  The  old  Lybian  delineated  in  the  Table  No.  1,  has  all  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  very  ancient  alphabet,  based  upon  the  acrostical  plan 
of  Egypt ;  but  in  a  very  different  language,  of  which  we  have  16 
words  preserved.  This  language  may  have  been  that  of  a  branch 
of  Atlantes,  perhaps  the  Getulians  (GE-TULA,  or  Tulas  of  the 
plains)  or  of  the  Ammonians,  Old  Lybians,  and  also  Atlantes. 

Out  of  these  ib  words,  only  5  have  a  slight  affinity  with  the 
Egyptian,  they  are — 

Nose  ,^  Ifr.L.  Nif.E. 

Sea  '  ■'.  Mah  Mauh. 

Saturn     ^  Slash  Sev. 

Venus  Uaf  Ath. 

Ear  Aips  Ap. 

While  this  Lybian  has  a  greater  analogy  with  the  Pelagic  dia- 
lects, as  many  as  12  out  of  16  being  contimilar. 

Eye  Esh  L.  Eshas  P. 

Nose  Ifr  Rinif. 

Hand  Vuld  Hul,  Chil. 

Earth  Lambd  Landa 

Sea  Mah  Marah, 

Fire  Rash  Furah 


*v,  ■ 


Moon 

Cek 

Man 

Dor 

Mercury 

Goreg 

Venug 

Uaf 

Saturn 

Siash 

Jupiter 

Theue 

AND  DISCOVERIES  Ilf  THE  WEST.  121 

Selka,  Kres, 
Hares,  Thor. 
Mergor 
Uenas 

Satur,  Shiva. 
Theoa. 

Therefore  the  numerical  analogy  is  only  32  per  cent  with  the 
Egyptian,  while  it  is  75  per  cent,  with  the  Pelagic.  Another 
proof  among  many^that  the  ancient  Atlantes  were  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  Pelagian  nations  of  Greece,  Italy,  and  Spain;  but 
much  less  so  with  the  Egyptians  from  whom  they  however  borrow- 
ed perhaps  their  graphic  system. 

This  system  is  very  remarkable.  1.  By  its  acrostic  form.  2. 
By  having  only  16  letters  like  most  of  the  primitive  alphabets,  but 
unlike  the  Egyptian  and  Sanscrit.  3.  By  being  susceptible  of  22 
sounds  by  modification  of  6  of  the  letters,  as  usual  among  the 
Pelagian  and  Etruscan.  6.  Above  all  by  being  based  upon  the 
acrostics  of  3  important  series  of  physical  objects,  the  6  senses  re- 
presented by  their  agents  in  man,  the  4  elements  of  nature  and  the 
7  planets :  which  are  very  philosophical  ideas,  and  must  have  origi- 
nated in  a  civilized  nation  and  learned  priesthood.  6.  By  the 
graphic  signs  being  also  rude  delineations  of  these  physical  objects 
or  their  emblems.  The  ear,  eye,  nose,  tongue  and  hand  for  the  6 
senses.  The  triangle  for  the  earth,  fish  for  the  sea  or  water,  snake 
for  the  air,  flame  for  fire.  A  circle  for  the  sun,  crescent  for  the 
moon,  a  sword  for  Mars,  a  purse  for  Mercury,  the  V  for  Venus, 
double  ring  for  Saturn,  and  trident  for  Jupiter.  Venus  being  the 
5th  planet  has  nearly  the  same  sign  as  U  the  5th  letter. 

These  physical  emblems  are  so  natural  and  obvious,  that  they 
are  sometimes  found  among  many  of  the  ancient  alphabets ;  the 
sun  and  moon  even  among  the  Chinese.  But  in  the  Egyptian 
alphabets,  the  emblems  apply  very  often  to  different  letters,  owing 
to  the  difference  of  language  and  acrostic  feature.  Tlius  the  hand 
applies  to  D  in  Egyptian  instead  of  U,  the  eye  to  R,  the  circle  lo 
O,  the  snake  to  L,  &c. 

II.  The  second  Lybian  alphabet  No.  2,  in  the  Tables,  was  the 
ancient  alphabet  of  Tuarics,  a  modern  branch  of  the  Atlantes,  until 
superseded  by  the  Arabic.  Denham  found  with  some  difficulty  its 
import,  and  names  of  letters  which  are  not  acrostic  but  literal,  and 

16 


132 


AMERICAN  ANTiqUlTIEA 


■!  ; 


m 


18  in  number.  It  is  doubtful  whether  these  names  were  well  ap- 
plied  in  all  instances,  as  the  explainer  was  ignorant  >tnd  Denham 
not  aware  of  the  importance  of  this  alphabet.  Some  appear  not 
well  named  and  U  with  V  have  the  same  sign  W  ;  hut  these  are 
always  interchangeable  in  old  language,  and  in  alphabet  No.  1, 
V  is  called  UAF  instead  of  VAF,  and  U  is  VULD  instead  of 
UULD!    , 

/s  we  have  it,  this  alphabet  is  sufficiently  and  obviously  derived 
from  the  First,  11  out  of  the  16  letters  being  similar  or  nearly  so, 
while  only  6  are  different,  E,  M,  R,  G  and  Z.  This  last  appears 
the  substitute  of  TH,  of  No.  1,  and  GH  represents  G.  Yet  they 
are  by  far  more  alike  than  the  Demotic  is  from  the  Hieratic  Egypt- 
ian, and  I  therefore  deem  this  No.  2  a  Demotic  form  of  the  ancient 
Lybian  or  Atlantic.  .  .   -    ,  ' 

I  might  have  given  and  compared  several  other  Lybian  alphabets 
found  in  inscriptions  ;  but  as  they  have  been  delineated  without  a 
key  nor  names,  it  is  at  present  very  difficult  to  decypher  them.  I 
however  recommend  them  to  the  attention  of  the  learned,  and  a- 
mong  others,  point  out  the  Lybian  inscription  of  ApoUunia,  the  har- 
bor of  Cyrene,  given  by  Lacella  in  his  travels  in  the  Cyrenaica. 
The  letters  of  this  inscription  appear  more  numerous  than  16  or 
even  22,  and  although  they  have  some  analogies  with  the  2  Lybian 
alphabets,  yet  approximate  still  more  to  the  Demotic  of  Egypt  and 
the  Phoenician.  But  the  inscriptions  in  Mount  Atlas  and  at  Fara- 
wan,  when  collected  and  decyphered,  will  be  found  of  much  great- 
er historical  importance. 

IIL  Meantime  in  the  column  No.  3  of  the  tabular  view  are  giv- 
en 46  Elements  of  the  Glyphs  of  Otolum  or  Palenque,  a  few  of 
these  glyphs  being  given  also  in  column  No.  4.  These  46  ele- 
ments are  altogether  similar  or  derived  from  the  Lybian  prototypes 
of  No.  1  and  2.  In  some  cases  they  are  absolutely  identic,  and 
the  conviction  of  their  common  origin  is  almost  complete,  particu- 
larly when  taken  in  connection  with  the  collateral  proofs  of  tradi- 
tions and  languages.  These  elements  are  somewhat  involved  in 
the  grouping,  yet  they  may  easily  be  perceived  and  separated. 
Sometimes  they  are  ornamented  by  double  lines  or  otherwise,  as 
monumental  letters  often  are-  Sometimes  united  to  outside  num- 
bers represented  by  long  ellipses  meaning  10,  and  round  dots  mean- 
ing unities,  which  approximates  to  the  Mexican  system  of  graphic 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


123 


numeration.  Besides  these  46  elements,  some  others  may  be  seen 
in  the  glyphs,  which  I  left  off,  becausa  too  intricate ;  '♦hough  they 
appear  reducible  if  a  larger  table  could  have  been  ^  jn.  There 
is  hardly  a  single  one  that  may  not  be  traced  to  these  forms,  or  that 
baffles  the  actual  theory.  Therefore  the  conclusion  must  occur, 
that  such  astonishing  coincidence  cannot  be  casual,  but  it  is  the  re- 
sult of  original  derivation.  -  -  •  '  1  (• 
The  following  remarks  are  of  some  importance. 

1.  The  glyphs  of  Otdum  are  written  from  top  to  bottom,  like 
the  Chinese,  or  from  side  to  side  indifferently  like  the  Egyptian 
and  the  Demotic  Lybian  of  No.  2.  We  are  not  told  how  No.  1 
was  written,  but  probably  in  the  same  way.  Several  signs  were 
used  for  the  same  letter  as  in  Egypt. 

2.  Although  the  most  common  way  of  writing  the  groups  is  in 
rows,  and  each  group  separated,  yet  we  find  some  framed  as  it 
were  in  oblong  squares  or  tablets  like  those  of  Egypt.  See  plate 
12,  of  the  work  on  Palenque  by  Delrio  and  Cabrera.  In  that  12th 
plate  there  are  also  some  singular  groups  resembling  our  musical 
notes  ;  eould  they  be  emblems  of  songs  or  hymns  ?  ^    ^ - 

3.  The  letter  represented  by  a  head  occurs  frequently  ;  but  it  is 
remarkable  that  the  features  are  very  different  from  those  of  the  re-^ 
markable  race  of  men  or  heroes  delineated  in  the  sculptures. 

4.  In  reducing  these  elements  to  the  alphabetical  form,  I  have 
been  guided  by  the  more  plausible  theory  evolved  by  similar  forms. 
We  have  not  here  the  more  certain  demonstration  of  Bilingual  in- 
scriptions ;  but  if  languages  should  uphold  this  theory,  the  certain- 
ty will  be  increased  of  the  Atlantic  origins  of  Otolum.  ^^, 

IV.  But  shall  we  be  able  to  read  these  glyphs  and  inscriptions  } 
without  positively  knowing  iu  what  language  they  were  written  ! 
The  attempt  will  be  arduous,  but  it  is  not  impossible.  In  Egypt^ 
the  Coptic  has  been  found  such  a  close  dialect  of  the  Egyptian,  that 
it  has  enabled  you  to  read  the  oldest  hieroglyphs.  We  find  among 
the  ancient  dialects  of  Chiapa  Yucatan  and  Guatimala,  the 
branches  of  the  ancient  speech  of  Otolum.  Nay,  Otolum  was  per- 
haps the  ancient  TOL  or  TOLA,  seat  of  the  Toltecas,  (people  of 
Tol,)  and  their  empire ;  but  this  subject  will  belong  to  my  third 
letter.  I  will  now  merely  give^a  few  attempts  tp  read  some  of  the 
groups.    For  instance  : 


m 


■\i 


124 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIEI 


►'•A 


is* 


1.  The  group  or  word  on  the  seat  of  the  sitting  man  of  plate  4  of 
monuments  of  Palanque,  I  read  UOBAC,  being  formed  by  a  hand, 
a  tongue,  a  circle,  an  car,  and  a  crescent.  It  is  perhaps  his  name. 
And  underneath  the  seat  is  an  eye  with  a  small  circle  inside,  mean- 
ing £B. 

2.  In  plate  5,  is  an  eye  with  two  annexed  rings,  meaning  proba- 
bly BAB,  and  perhaps  the  Sun,  which  is  BAP  in  the  Lybiun  al- 
phabet. 

3.  In  plate  7,  the  glyph  of  the  comer  with  a  head,  a  fish,  and  a 
crescent,  means  probably  KIM. 

4.  The  first  glyph  of  page  15,  is  probably  BALKE. 

5.  I  can  make  out  many  others  reading  ICBE,  BOCOGO,  POPO, 
EPL,PKE,  &c. 

If  these  word«  and  others  (alt':iough  some  may  be  names)  can 
be  found  in  African  languages,  or  in  those  of  Cent:  tl  America,  we 
shall  obtain  perhaps  the  key  to  the  whole  language  of  Old  Otolum. 
And  next  reach  step  by  step  to  the  desirable  knowledge  of  reading 
those  glyphs,  which  may  cover  much  historical  knowidedge  of  high 
import.  Meantime  I  have  opened  the  path,  if  my  theory  and  con- 
jectures are  correct,  as  I  have  strong  reasons  to  believe. 

Besides  this  monumental  alphabet,  the  same  nation  that  built  Oto- 
lum had  a  Demotic  alphabet  belongir  ^'^  lo  my  8th  series ;  which  was 
found  in  Guatimala  and  Yucatan,  ai  the  Spanish  conquest.  At 
specimen  of  it  has  been  given  by  Humboldt  in  his  American  Re- 
searches, plate  45,  from  the  Dresden  Library,  and  hes  been  ascer- 
tained to  be  Guatimainn  instead  of  Mexican,  being  totally  unlike 
the  Mexican  pictorial  manuscripts.  This  page  of  Demotic  has  let- 
ters and  numbers,  these  represented  by  strokes  meaning  5  and  dots 
meaning  unities,  as  tlie  dots  never  exceed  4.  This  is  nearly  simi- 
lar to  the  monumental  numbers. 

The  words  are  much  less  handsome  than  the  monumental  glyphs ; 
they  are  also  uncouth  glyphs  in  rows  formed  by  irregular  or  flexuous 
heavy  strokes,  inclosing  within  in  small  strokes,  nearly  the  same 
letters  as  in  the  monuments.  It  might  not  be  imiwssible  to  decy- 
pher  some  of  these  manuscrips  written  on  metl  paper  :  since  they 
are  written  in  languages  yet  spoken,  and  the  writing  was  under- 
stood in  Central  America,  as  late  as  1  )0  years  ago.  If  this  is  done 
it  will  be  the  best  clue  to  the  monumental  inscriptions. 

C.  S.  IIAFINESQUE. 
Philadelphiay  Febrmrtf,  1832. 


rv^ 


v^ -—..,-■,-■ 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST- 


1    1 


This  letter  as  above,  strongly  corrobcratcs  our  supposition,  that 
the  authors  of  the  embalmed  Mummies  found  in  the  cave  of  Lex- 
ington, were  of  Egyptian  origin. 

See  Morse's  Oeog.  p.  600,  and  the  Western  Oftz.  p.  103,  states 
that  several  hundred  mummies  were  discovered  near  Lexington,  ia 
a  cave,  but  were  wholly  destroyed  by  the  first  settlers. 


A    FURTHER   ACCOUNT    OF   WESTERN  ANTIQUITIES,    WITH 
ANTEDILUVIAN  TRAITS. 


Cincinnati,  is  situated  on  one  of  those  examples  of  antiquity, 
of  great  extent.  They  are  found  on  the  upper  level  of  that  town,  but , 
none  on  the  lower  one.    They  are  so  conspicuous  as  to  catch  the 
first  range  of  the  eye. 

There  is  every  reason  to  suppose,  that  at  the  remote  period  of 
the  building  of  these  antiquities,  the  lowest  level  formed  part  j( 
the  bed  of  the  Ohio.  A  gentleman  who  was  living  near  the  tovn 
of  Cincinnati,  in  1826,  on  the  upper  level,  had  occasion  to  sink  a 
well  for  his  accommodation,  who  persevered  in  digging  to  the  depth 
of  80  feet  without  finding  water,  but  still  persisting  in  the  attempt, 
his  workmen  found  themselves  obstructed  by  a  substance,  which 
resisted  their  labor,  though  evidently  not  stone.  They  cleared  the 
surface  and  sides  from  the  earth  bedded  around  it,  when  there  ap- 
peared  the  slump  of  a  tree,  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  two  feet 
high,  which  had  been  cut  down  with  an  axe .  The  blows  of  the 
axe  were  yet  visible. 

It  was  nearly  of  the  colour  and  apparent  character  of  coal,  but 
had  not  the  friable  pnd  fusible  quality  of  that  mineral ;  ten  feet  be- 
low, the  waier  sprang  up,  and  the  well  is  now  in  constant  supply, 
and  high  repute.  • 

Reflections  on  this  discovery  are  these,  first ;  that  the  tree  was 
undoubtedly  antediluvian.  Second  ;  that  the  river  now  called  the 
Ohio,  did  not  exist  anterior  to  the  deluge,  in  as  much  as  the  re- 
mains of  the  tree  were  found  firmly  rooted,  in  its  original  position, 
several  feet  belm  the  bed  of  that  river.  Third ;  that  America  was 
peopled  before  the  flood;  as  appears  from  the  action  oi  the  axo,  ii4 


13C 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I,''  ' 

K    .1 


cutting  down  the  tree.  Fourth  ;  thnt  the  nntediluvian  AmericanH) 
were  ac(|uainted  with  tlie  use  and  proprieticN  of  iron,  as  tiie  rust  of 
the  axR  was  on  the  top  of  tlie  stump  wlien  discovered. 

And  why  should  they  not  be  acquainted  with  both  its  proprieties 
and  utility,  seeing  it  was  an  antediluvian  discovery.  Tubal  Cain, 
one  of  the  sons  of  Cain,  the  son  of  Adam,  we  find,  according  to 
Genesis,  iv.  chap.  22d  verse,  was  n  blacksmith,  and  worked  in  iron 
and  brass,  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  the  flood. 

It  was  about  five  hundred  years  from  the  creation,  when  Tubal 
Cain  is  noticed  in  the  sacred  history,  to  have  been  a  worker  in  brass 
and  iron ;  but,  says  Dr.  Clarke  the  commetator,  "  although  this  is 
the  firal  smith  on  record,  who  taught  how  to  make  warlike  instru- 
ments, and  domestic  utensils,  out  of  brass  and  iron,  yet  a  knowl- 
edge of  metal,  must  have  existe''  long  before,  for  Cain  was  a  tiller 
of  the  groundj  and  so  was  Adan.,  which  they  cculd  not  have  been, 
without  spades,  hooks,  &c." 

The  Roman  plough  was  formed  of  wood,  being  in  shape,  like 
the  anchor  to  a  vessel ;  the  ploughman  held  to  one  fluke,  so  as  to 
guide  it,  while  the  other  entered  the  ground  pointed  with  iron,  and 
as  it  was  drawn  along  by  the  stem,  it  tore  the  earth  in  a  streak, 
mellowing  it  for  the  seed. 

Such,  it  is  likely,  was  the  form  of  the  primitive  plough,  from 
which,  in  the  progress  of  ages,  improvements  have  been  made,  till 
the  present  one,  as  now  formed,  and  is'  the  glory  of  the  well  tilled 
field.  . 

According  to  this  opinion,  it  would  appear,  that  in  the  very  first 
period  of  time,  men  were  acquainted  with  the  metals,  and  as  they 
diverged  from  the  common  centre,  which  was  near  the  garden  of 
Eden,  they  carried  with  them  a  knowledge  of  this  all  important 
discovery. 

If  the  stump  is  indeed  antediluvian,  we  learn  one  important  fact, 
and  this  is  it ;  America,  by  whatever  name  it  was  called  before  the 
deluge,  was  then  a  body  of  earth  above  the  waters ;  and  also,  was 
connected  with  Asia  ;  where,  it  is  allowed  on  all  hands,  man  was 
originated. 

If  it  were  not  connected  with  Asia,  it  might  be  inquired,  how 
then  came  men  in  America,  before  the  flood,  the  triats  of  whose  in 
4u8try,  and  agricultural  pursuits,  are  discovered  in  the  felling  of 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


IS7 


Uiia  tree,  as  well  as  a  great  uumbcr  of  other  instaaccs,  of  which 
we  Nhall  speak  by  and  by. 

It  is  ml  probable,  that  before  the  flood,  there  was  so  small  r 
«juantity  of  dry  land,  on  the  earth,  as  at  the  present  time  ;  the  wa- 
ters of  the  globe  being  generally  hid  beneath  the  incumbent  soil, 
so  that  an  easy  communication  of  all  countries  with  each  other,  ex- 
isted ;  which  roust  have  greatly  facilitated  the  progress  of  man,  in 
"  peopling,  and  subduing  it." 

We  kn  /v  very  well,  it  is  said,  **  the  gathering  togctlier  of  the 
waters,  called  He  seas ;"  but  it  does  not  follow,  that  they  were  not 
subterranean ;  and  it  is  more  than  intimated,  that  such  was  the  fact^ 
when  it  is  said,  "  all  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  brokeu 
up,"  on  the  day  the  flood  commenced. 

But  by  what  means  were  they  broken  up,  this  is  left  to  conjec- 
ture, as  the  Scriptures  are  higher  in  their  aim,  than  the  mere  grati- 
fication of  curious  questions  of  this  sort ;  but  in  some  way  this  was 
done.  The  very  terms, "  broken  up,"  signify  the  exertion  of  pow- 
er and  violence^  of  sufficient  force  to  burst  at  once,  whole  continents 
from  the  face  of  the  deep,  and  also,  to  throw  out,  at  one  wide  nuA, 
the  central  waters  of  the  globe. 

But  can  we  conceiw^  of  any  hieans  made  use  of  to  eflect  this, 
other  than  the  direct  pressure  of  God's  power,  sinking  the  earth  to 
the  depths  beneath,  so  that  the  water  might  rise  above,  taking  the 
place  of  the  land  ?  We  imagine  we  can. 

It  is  well  known,  the  velocity  of  the  earth,  in  its  onward  motion, 
round  the  sun,  is  about  twenty  miles  a  second,  nearly  the  speed  of 
lightning.  Let  Him,  therefore,  who  at  first  imposed  this  incon- 
ceivable velocity,  stop  the  earth  in  this  motion,  suddenly ;  what 
would  the  eflect  be  ?  all  the  fluids,  that  is,  the  waters,  whether 
above  ground  or  underneath  it,  would  rush  forward,  with  a  power 
equal  to  their  weight,  which  would  be  sufliclent  to  burst  away 
mountains,  or  any  impediment  whateVer ;  and  rushing  round  the 
globe,  from  the  extreme  western  point,  rolling  one  half  of  the 
mighty  flood  over  this  side  of  it,  and  the  other  half  ever  the  auti- 
pode  on  the  other  side,  which  is  relatively  beneath  us,  till  the  two 
half  worlds  of  water  should  meet  at  thf  extreme  east,  where  heap- 
ing up,  by  their  force,  above  a  common  level,  would,  gradually, 
roll  back  to  their  original  places,  as  the  earth  should  again  go  for- 


,# 


m 


▲MIfcRICAN  AifTIQtJitlfit) 


rM 


I.  ill' 


t^ard ;  this  is  our  opinion  of  the  way  how  "  all  the  fountoiis  of  the 
great  deep  were  hroken  up." 

If  the  earth  were  to  be  arrested  in  its  course  now,  the  effect 
would  be  the  same.  Suppose  we  illustrate  the  position,  for  a  mo- 
meut.  Place  a  vessel  of  water  on  a  plank,  for  instance,  open  on 
the  top,  like  a  common  bowl,  fastened  to  the  plank,  so  that  it  should 
not  be  liiable  to  overset.  Cause  this  plank  to  move,  at  first  slowly, 
but  increase  its  steady,  onward  velocity,  as  much  as  the  fluid  will 
bear,  without  causing  a  re-action ;  when,  therefore,  its  utmost 
speed  is  obtained,  stop  it  suddenly  ;  the  effect  would  be,  the  water 
in  the  vessel  would  instantly  fly  over,  leaving  the  bowl  behind. — 
Such,  therefore,  we  imagine  would  be  the  effect,  if  the  earth  were 
now  caused  to  stand  suddenly  still,  in  its  orbit ;  except  this  differ- 
ence, the  law  of  gravitation  would  prevent  the  waters  of  the  earth 
from  leaving  the  surface,  but  would  cause  a  rapid  current  in  the 
direction  the  earth  is  pursuing, 

That  the  waters  of  the  deluge  came  from  the  west,  is  evident 
from  the  manner  in  which  the  various  strata  of  the  earth  are  situat- 
ed, over  the  whole  of  our  country ;  and  that  its  motion  was  very 
violent,  is  also  evident  from  the  appearance  of  native  or  primitive 
rock,  being  found  on  the  top  of  that  which  is  of  secondary  forma- 
tion, and  of  gravel  and  sand  in  hills,  and  smaller  eminences,  lying 
on  beds  of  clay,  and  soils  of  various  kinds  below  it. 

The  effects  of  the  deluge  can  be  traced  in  all  the  earth  in  this 
way,  and  particularly  about  Albany,  Saratoga,  and  about  the  lakes, 
and  to  the  east,  showing  the  waters  flowed  in  that  direction. 

For  a  beautiful  itnd  able  description  of  this  subject,  see  Thomas' 
Travels,  published  at  Auburn,  under  the  head,  "  The  Deluge." 

At  the  same  time  the  waters  above  the  firmament,  in  the  clouds, 
were  permitted  to  burst  downward,  which  in  its  fall,  subdivided 
into  drops,  as  is  natural ;  so  that  one  vast  perpetual  storm,  for  forty 
days  and  forty  nights  rushed  with  all  the  violence  of  a  tornado,  up- 
on the  globe,  quite  around  it,  by  which,  in  so  short  a  time,  the 
highest  hills  were  buried  fifteen  cubets  deep,  and  upward  ;  this  is 
wlnit  we  suppose  is  meant  by  the  words  "  and  the  windows  of 
heaven  were  opened." 

But  it  may  be  inquired,  from  whence  did  the  lands  receive  wa- 
ter to  furnisi)  them  with,  so  long  a  rain  as  a  storm  of  forty  days  and 


':!»! 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


129 


isights  ;  and  from  whence  originated  vapor  enough  to  becloud  the 
tvhole  circumambient  atmosphere  of  the  earth  at  once.  Surely, 
some  cause  more  than  existed  before  the  flood,  or  since,  must  have 
transpired' at  that  time,  to  have  produced  this  great  accumulation  of 
clouds  and  rain. 

The  answer  is,  we  apprehend — that  the  central  waters  burst- 
ing suddenly  from  the  great  deep,  involving  the  whole  globe,  pre- 
sented a  greater  surface  of  that  fluid  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  so  that 
by  its  operation  on  the  face  of  the  waters,  a  dense  mist  or  vapor 
was  at  once  produced  quite  round  the  earth,  which,  in  its  ascent, 
carried  up  incessantly  that  quantity  of  water  which  furnished  the 
atmosphere  for  so  long  and  so  dreadful  a  storm,  and  justify  the  ex- 
pression, "  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened." 

In  this  way  the  surface  of  the  earth  was  ruined  ;  a  disproportion- 
ate quantity  of  water,  caused  to  appear  on  the  surface,  while  in  the 
same  ratio,  the  land  is  sunk  to  the  depths  below. 

Sixteen  hundred  years  and  rising  was  the  space  of  time  allowed 
from  the  creation  till  the  flood  ;  a  time  quite  sufficient  to  people  the 
whole  earth,  even  if  it  were  then  enjoying  a  surface  of  dry  land, 
twice  as  much  as  it  does  at  the  present  time,  being  but  about  one- 
fourth  ;  and  America,  as  appears  from  this  one  monument,  the 
stmip  of  Cincinnati,  was  a  part  of  the  earth  which  was  peopled  by 
the  Antediluvians. 

The  celebrated  antiquarian,  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  late  of  New- 
York,  with,  other  gentlemen,  eminent  for  their  knowledge  of  natu- 
ral history,  are  even  of  the  opinion  that  America  was  the  country 
where  Adam  was  created.  In  a  letter  to  Governor  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton, in  which  this  philosopher  argued  the  common  origin  'of  the 
people  of  America,  and  those  of  Asia,  he  says  :  "  I  avoid  the 
opportunity  which  this  grand  conclusion  affords  me,  of  stating,  that 
America  was  the  cradle  of  the  human  race  ;  of  tracing  its  colonies 
westward  over  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  beyond  the  sea  of  Kamschat- 
ka,  to  new  settlements  ;  of  following  the  emigrants  by  land  and  wa- 
ter, until  they  reached  Europe  and  Africa.  I  had  no  inclination  to 
oppose  the  current  opinions  relative  to  the  place  of  man's  creation 
and  dispersion.  I  thought  it  was  scarcely  worth  the  while  to  in- 
form an  European,  that  in  coming  to  America,  he  had  left  the  new 
world  behind  him,  for  the  purj^se  of  visiting  the  old." — American 
Antq.  Society,  p.  331. 

17 


130 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


pip 


But  this  opioion  cannot  obtain,  if  we  place  the  least  reliance  on 
the  statement  of  Moses,  in  his  Book  of  Genesis  ;  who  gives  a  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  the  place  of  man's  creation,  by  stating  the 
names  of  the  very  rivers,  arising  out  of  the  region  of  country  called 
Paradise  ;  Such  as  Pison,  Havilah,  Gihon,  Hiddekel,  and  Euphra- 
tes ;  or  as  they  now  arc  called,  Phasis,  Araxes,  Tigris,  and  Euphra- 
tes ;  this  last  retains  its  original  name. 

No  such  rivers  are  known  in  America,  nor  the  countries  through 
which  they  flow.  Here  are  data  to  argue  from,  but  the  position, 
or  rather  the  suggestion  of  Professor  Mitchell,  has  absolutely  no 
data  whatever.  If  but  a  tradition,  favoring  that  opinion,  were  found 
even  among  the  Indians,  it  would  afford  some  foundation  :  but  as 
their  tradition  universally  alludes  to  some  part  of  the  earth,  far 
away,  from  whence  they  came,  it  would  seem  exceedingly  extra- 
vagant to  argue  a  contrary  belief. 

This  one  stump,  we  consider  surpasses  in  consequence  the  mag- 
nificence of  all  the  temples  of  antiquity,  whose  forsaken  turrets,  di- 
lapidated walls,  tottering  and  fallen  pillars,  which  speak  in  lan- 
guage loud  and  mournful,  the  story  of  their  ruin ;  because  it  is  a 
remnant  of  mattery  in  form  and  fashion,  such  as  it  was,  before  the 
earth  "  perished  by  water,"  bearing  on  its  top  i!>e  indubitable 
marks  of  the  exertion  of  man,  of  so  remote  a  ^ime. 

It  is  not  impossible  but  America  may  have  been  the  country 
where  Noah  builded  his  ark,  as  directed  by  the  Most  High. 

We  know  very  well,  when  the  mind  refers  to  the  subject  of 
Noah's  Ark,  our  thoughts  are  immediately  associated  with  Mount 
Ararat,  because  it  rested  there,  on  the  subsiding  of  the  flood.  But 
this  circumstance  precludes  a  possibility  of  its  having  been  built 
there,  if  we  allow  the  waters  of  the  deluge  to  have  had  any  cur 
rent  at  all.  It  is  said  in  Genesis,  that  the  Ark  floated,  or  wa» 
borne  upon  the  waters  above  the  earth,  and  also,  that  the  ark  "  went 
upon  the  face  0/  the  toafcrs."  From  which  fact  we  imagine  there 
must  have  been  a  current,  or  it  could  not  have  went  upon  the  wa- 
ters. Consequently,  it  went  from  the  place  where  it  was  built,  be- 
ing obedient  to  the  current  of  the  waters. 

Now,  if  it  had  been  built  any  where  in  the  country  called  Arme- 
nia, where  the  mountain  Ararat  is  situated  ;  and  as  it  is  found  the 
waters  ha'^  »  spnpral  pastorn  direction,  the  Ark  in  iroincr  on  the  fac; 
of  the  waters,  would  have,  during  the  time  the  waters  of  the  de- 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


131 


luge  prevailed,  which  was  an  hundred  and  fifty  days,  or  five  mouths, 
(that  is,  prevailed  after  the  commencement  of  the  deluge,  till  its 
greatest  depth  was  effected  ;)  gone  in  an  eastern  direction  as  far 
])erhaps  as  to  the  region  of  the  islands  of  Japan,  beyond  China, 
east,  a  distance  of  about  six  thousand  miles  from  Ararat,  which 
would  be  at  the  rate  of  about  forty  miles  a  day,  or  if  it  had  floated 
faster,  would  have  carried  it  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

But  if  we  may  imagine  it  was  erected  in  North  America,  or  some 
where  in  the  latitude  of  the  state  of  New- York,  or  even  farther 
west,  the  current  of  the  deluge  would  have  borne  it  easterly.  And 
suppose  it  may  have  been  carried  at  the  rate  of  forty  or  fifty  miles 
a  day,  would,  during  the  time  the  waters  prevailed  ;  in  which  time, 
we  may  suppose,  a  current  existed,  have  progressed  as  far  as  to 
Ararat ;  a  distance  of  nearly  six  thousand  |miles  from  America, 
where  it  did  actually  rest. 

More  than  sixteen  hundred  years  had  elapsed,  when  the  ark  was 
finished,  and  it  may  fairly  be  inferred,  that  as  Noah  was  born  about 
one  thousand  years  after  the  creation  of  the  world,  that  mankind 
had  from  necessity,  arising  from  the  pressure  of  population,  gone 
very  far  away  from  the  regions  round  about  Eden ;  and  the  coun- 
try where  Noah  was  born  may  as  well  be  supposed  to  have  been 
America,  as  any  other  part  of  the  earth  ;  seeing  there  are  indubita- 
ble signs  of  antediluvian  population  in  many  parts  of  it.  Unite 
this  circumstance  with  that  of  the  ascertained  current  of  the  deluge 
from  America,  and  with  the  fact  of  the  Ark's  having  rested  in  an 
easterly  direction  from-  this  country,  we  come  to  a  conclusion  that 
here,  perhaps  in  the  very  State  of  New-York,  the  miraculous  ves- 
sel was  erected,  and  bore  away,  treasured  with  its  enormous  ca- 
pacity, the  progenitors  of  the  human  race  renewed.  So  that  if 
America  have  not  the  honor  of  being  the  country  where  Adam  was 
created,  as  is  believed  by  some,  it  has  nevertheless  the  honor,  as 
supposed,  of  being  the  country  where  the  ark  was  erected. 

In  Morse's  Universal  Geography,  first  volume,  page  142,  the  dis- 
covery of  this  stump  is  corroborated  :  "  In  digging  a  well  in  Cin- 
cinnati, the  stump  of  a  tree  was  found  in  a  sound  state,  ninety  feet 
below  the  surface  ;"  and  in  digging  another  well,  at  the  same  place, 
another  stump  was  found,  at  ninety-four  feet  below  the  surface, 
which  had  evident  marks  of  the  axe ;  and  on  its  top  there  appeared 
as  if  some  iron  tool  had  been  consumed  by  fust.'' 


132 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


The  axe  had,  no  doubt,  been  struck  into  the  top  of  the  stamp, 
when  the  horrors  of  the  deluge  first  appeared,  in  the  bursting  forth 
of  the  waters  from  above,  that  is  from  the  windows  of  heaven ; — 
when  sounds  terrific,  from  the  breaking  forth  of  the  waters  of  the 
great  deep,  and  from  the  shock  all  sensitive  beings  must  have  felt 
when  the  earth  was  caused  to  stand  still  in  its  onward  course  round 
the  sun,  for  the  space  perhaps  of  a  day.  Remember  Joshua,  at 
whose  command  and  prayer,  God  stopped  the  earth  for  the  space  of 
a  whole  day,  but  not  in  its  onward  course  around  the  sun,  but  its 
diurnal  motion  only,  which  could  not  have  any  efiect  on  the  fluids 
of  the  earth,  as  the  sudden  interruption  of  the  other  motion  would 
have. 

Who  would  not  flee,  or  be  petrified  on  the  spot,  when  pheno- 
mena so  terrible,  without  pressage  or  warning,  were  changing  the 
face  of  things,  and  the  feelings  of  the  atmosphere ;  the  earth  quiv- 
ering like  an  aspen  leaf ;  forests  leaning  to  the  east,  and  snapping 
asunder  in  one  awful  crash  over  all  the  wide  wilderness ;  rocks 
with  mountains  tumbling  from  their  summits ;  the  stoutest  heart 
would  quail  at  such  an  hour  as  this  ;  an  axe,  with  all  things  else, 
would  be  left  by  the  owners,  and  a  general  flight,  if  they  could 
stand  at  all  on  their  feet,  would  take  place,  they  knew  not  whither, 
for  safety. 

In  one  of  the   communications  of  the  admired  Dr.  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell,  Professor  of  Natural  History,  to  the  Americnn  Antiqua- 
rian Society,  he  mentions  a  certain  class  of  antiquities  as  distin- 
guished entirely  from   those  which  are  found  in  and  about  the 
mounds  of  the  west,  as  follows :  In  the  section  of  country  about 
Fredouia,  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  are  discovered  objects 
deservedly  worthy  of  particular  and  inquisitive  research.     This 
kind  of  antiquities,  present  themselves  on  digging  from  thirty  to 
fifty  feet  below  the  present  surface  of  the  ground.     "  They  occur 
in  the  form  of  fire  brands,  split  wood,  ashes,  coals,  and  occasionally 
tools  and  utensils,  buried  to  those  depths."    This,  it  will  be  per- 
ceived, is  much  below  the  bed  of  Lake  Erie,  of  consequence  must 
have  been  antediluvian,   and  agrees  with  the  discovery  of   the 
stumps  at  Cincinnati.     "  I  am  informed  that  in  Rhode-Island,  New 
Jersey,  Maryland,  North  Carolina,  and  in  Ohio,  such  discoveries 
have  been  made."    He  says,  "  I  wish  the  members  of  the  society 
would  exert  themselve*  with  all  possible  diligence  to  ascertain  and 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


133 


collect  the  facts  of  this  description.  They  will  be  exceedingly  cu- 
rious, both  for  the  geologist  and  historian.  After  such  facts  shall 
have  been  collected  and  methodised,  we  may  perhaps  draw  some 
satisfactory  conclusions ;  light  may  possibly  be  shed  upon  the  re- 
mote Pelasgians,  and  upon  the  traditionary  Atlantidies." 

But  we  cannot  allow  the  discoveries  made  at  this  vast  depth,  to 
belong  to  any  age,  or  to  any  of  the  works  of  man  this  side  the  de- 
luge, as  that  time  enough  has  not  elapsed  siace  that  catastrophe,  to 
allow  the  decomposition  of  vegetables,  nor  of  convulsions,  to  have 
buried  these  articles  so  deep  beneath  the  surface  extending  over  so 
great  a  tract  of  country.  The  draining  of  lakes,  however  sudden, 
could  never  have  had  so  wide  and  universal  an  effect. 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  we  are  coo-pelled  to  refer  them  to 
the  works  of  man  beyond  the  flood,  which,  by  the  overflowing  of 
the  waters,  and  the  consequent  ruin  of  the  original  surface,  these 
works,  with  their  makers,  have  been  thus  buried  in  a  tomb  more 
dreadful  to  the  imagination  than  the  ordinary  recepticles  of  the 
dead. 

In  evidence  that  the  ocean,  at  some  period  in  ages  past,  over- 
whelmed the  American  continent,  we  notice,  from  the  "  British 
Spy,"  page  112,  an  account  of  the  discovery  of  the  skeleton  of  a 
whale,  in  Virginia : 

"  Near  Wiliiamsburgh  has  recently  been  discovered,  by  a  farm- 
er, while  digging  a  ditch  through  a  plat  of  ground,  about  five  feet 
below  the  surface,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  a  whale. 
Several  fragments  of  the  rH)s,  and  other  parts,  were  found,  with 
the  whole  of  the  vertebrae,  or  backbone,  regularly  arranged,  and 
very  litttle  impaired  as  to  figure.  The  spot  where  it  was  found  is 
about  two  miles  from  James  river,  and  about  sixty  from  the  sea. 
In  the  same  region,  at  depths  of  from  sixty  to  ninety  and  an  hun- 
dred feet,  have  been  found  the  teeth  of  sharks."  In  every  region 
of  the  earth,  as  well  as  America,  and  on  the  highest  mountains,  are 
found  the  bones  and  shells  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  sea. 
From  the  universality  of  those  appearances,  we  conclude  they  were 
deposited  and  cast  thither  by  the  billows  of  the  deluge. 

From  the  discoveries  of  articles  of  the  utensil  character,  the  bones 
of  whales,  the  teeth  of  sharks,  and  the  stumps  of  Cincinnati,  at 
various  depths,  as  stated  above ;  we  are  led  to  the  conclusion,  that 


1I_J       A_. 


me  ongmat  Bunac-e,  oi  vvuui  is  now  callcu  Araenca,  was  perhapB 


134 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


not  much  disturbed  ;  but  was  rather  suddenly  overwhelmed  from 
the  west,  by  the  bursting  forth  of  the  subterranean  Pacific,  which, 
till  then,  had  been  covered  with  land,  mountains  and  vales,  thickly 
peopled. 

The  vast  depths  of  strata  of  loam,  sand,  clay,  gravel,  and  stone, 
which,  lie  over  each  other,  evincing,  from  the  unnatur  ^  manner  of 
their  positions,  that  they  were  thrown  furiously,  by  the  agent,  wa- 
ter, over  the  whole  continent,  furnished  from  the  countries  of  the 
West. 

If  such  may  have  been  the  fact,  how  dreary,  sublime,  and  hor- 
rible, when  we  reflect  upon  the  imm^nsitj  of  the  antediluvian 
population,  west  of  America,  at  once  thrown,  with  all  their  works, 
their  wealth,  and  power,  rapidly  along  the  dreadful  current,  run- 
ning east,  broad  as  half  the  earth,  crushed  and  mingled  ivith  the 
ruined  world  of  their  own  country.  Here  it  may  be  supposed  at 
diHerent  depths,  tbeir  broken  bodies  are  buried,  together  with  the 
antediluvians  of  America  ;  while  above  them,  the  towns,  cities,  and 
living  world  of  the  present  times,  are  in  full  career.  As  we  pass 
along,  over  the  surface  of  the  earth,  whether  for  recreation  and  to 
breathe  the  evening  or  the  morning  a."r  ;  enjoying  the  pleasant 
promenade,  or  roll  onward  in  the  furious  chariot ;  to  reflect  that 
this  soil  is  the  same  once  forming  a  part  of  the  vast  covering  of  the 
Western  Ocean ;  and  that  far  beneath  us,  the  bodies  of  our  elder 
brethren  are  sleeping,  is  sad  and  mournful. 

That  such  may  indeed,  be  the  fact,  is  favoured  from  the  disco- 
very of  the  whale's  skeleton,  found  on  James  River,  which  could 
never  have  been  deposited  there  by  otlier  means  than  the  flood  ; 
forced  onward,  till  killed  by  the  violence  and  agitation  of  the  wood, 
stone,  and  earth  encumbered  waters,  and  sunk  finally  down, 
where  it  was  recently  discovered. 

The  pottery  of  the  ancient  nations,  mentioned  by  Sohoolcrafl, 
found  at  the  vast  depth  of  eighty  feet,  and  even  at  greater  depths, 
at  the  great  Saline  in  Illinois,  is  evidence  of  an  antediluvian  popu- 
iution  in  America. 

At  Cincinnati  there  is  a  barrow  or  mound  of  human  bones,  situ- 
ated exactly  on  the  edge  of  the  bank  that  overlooks  the  lower  town, 
the  principal  street  Icf  ding  from  the  water  is  cut  through  it,  and 
exposes  its  strata  and  emains  to  every  person  passing  by.  Seven 
tiers  of  skeletons  lay  r/lainly  in  sigh^,  where  the  barrow  had  caved 

u 


And  discoveries  in  the  west. 


135 


away,  from  its  being  undermined.  Among  the  earth  thus  fallen 
down,  were  found  several  stone  hatchets,  pieces  of  potteiy,  and  a 
flute,  made  of  the  great  bone  of  the  human  leg.  This  is  a  very 
curious  instrument,  vith  beautifully  carved  figures,  represeating 
birds,  squirrels,  and  small  animals,  with  perforated  holes,  in  the  old 
German  manner,  which,  when  breathed  into,  emitted  tones  of  great 
melody. 

Among  the  modern  Indians,  no  such  instrument  has  ever  been 
found.  At  the  time  when  the  street  was  opened  through  this  bar- 
row of  the  dead,  a  great  variety  of  interesting  and  valuable  relics 
were  brought  to  light ;  among  which  were  human  double  teeth^ 
which,  on  c  moderate  calculation,  bespoke  men  as  large  again  as 
the  present  race.  Also  some  brass  rings,  which  were  considered 
exceedingly  curious  ;  an  instance  of  which  is  similar  to  the  one 
before  mentioned  in  this  work.  Iron  rings,  as  we  have  before 
mentioned,  were  anciently  used  among  the  Britons  before  the  Chris- 
tian  era,  as  money ;  and  possibly  in  this  case,  the  brass  rings  foui^ 
in  this  barrow,  may  be  a  specimen  of  the  ancient  money  of  Ame- 
nta- 


DISCOVERY  OF  AN  IVORY  IMAGE  IN  A  BONE  MOUND  AT  CIN 

CINNATI. 


In  the  same  barrow  of  which  I  have  been  speaking,  was  disco- 
vered an  ivory  image,  which  we  consider  more  interesting,  and  sur- 
passes any  discovery  yet  mentioned.  It  is  said  to  be  now  in  the 
cabinet  of  rare  collections,  once  in  the  possession  of  the  illustrious 
Jefferson. 

The  account  of  the  image  is  as  follows :  It  is  seven  inches  high  ; 
the  figure  full  length ;  the  costume,  a  robe,  in  numberless  folds, 
well  expressed,  and  the  hair  displayed  in  many  ringlets  ;  the  child 
naked,  near  the  left  breast,  and  the  mother's  eye  bent  on  it  with  a 
strong  expression  of  affection  and  endearment. 

There  are  those  who  think  it  a  representation  of  the  mother  of 


our  boras  numanity, witn  tne 


me  xmia  jcsu 


jcsus,  m  ner  arms,     lue  ito- 


136 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


MB 


mac  Oatholics  have  availed  thciuaclves  of  this  image,  and  made  it 
a  testimony  of  tlie  antiquity  of  their  religion,  and  of  the  extensive 
range  of  their  worship,  by  attempting  to  prove  thereby  that  thf :  idol 
ivas  nothing  less  than  a  Madona  and  Child — the  Virgin  Mary^  and 
the  child  Jesus ;  and  that  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  wus  the 
Jirst  which  arose  in  the  earliest  Christian  age  in  the  east,  and  the 
last  which  set  in  the  west,  where  it  became  extinct,  by  means  of  a 
second  deluge. 

The  idea,  however,  of  a  second  deluge,  is  inadmissible,  as  it 
would  have  destroyed  every  vestige  of  the  niounds,  pyramids,  tu- 
muli, and  fortifications,  of  which  this  work  treats  ;  many  of  which 
are  supposed  older  than  the  Christian  era  ;  and  the  mound  in  which 
the  image  itself  was  discovered  would  also  been  destroyed. 

There  is,  however,  another  opinion,  which  is  not  impossible  may 
have  furnished  the  imagination  with  materials  for  the  origin  of  such 
a  representation.  The  image  may  be  of  Greek  origin,  and  taken 
from  Isaiah  the  Prophet,  7th  chap.  14th  verse,  where  it  is  said, — 
"  Behold  a  virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  Son."  This  prophe- 
cy of  Isaiah  was  known  to  the  Greeks,  for  the  Old  Testament  was 
translated  into  their  language  in  the  time  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus, 
king  of  Egypt,  nearly  three  hundred  years  before"  the  Christian 
era.  See  Adam  Clarke's  General  Preface  to  the  Old  Testament, 
page  27,  and  is  known  as  the  Septuagint  version. 

The  Greek  statuaries  may,  in  this  way,  have  easily  found  the 
bea'  'iful  and  captivating  idea  of  a  virgin  mother,  by  reading  Isaiah 
in  the  Greek  ;  a  work  fraught  with  all  the  grandeur  of  images  in- 
spired by  God  himself,  and  could  not  fail  to  challenge  the  reading 
of  every  learned  man  of  the  empire,  and  such  were  the  statuaries, 
among  the  Greeks,  the  fame  of  whose  exquisite  skill  in  this  respect, 
will  go  down  on  the  hietoric  page  to  latest  time. 

From  the  Greeks  such  an  image,  celebrating  the  idea  of  a  vir- 
gin mother  and  her  child,  may  have  easily  come  into  the  possession 
of  the  Romans,  as  the  Greeks  were,  soon  after  the  translation  of 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures  into  the  Greeks,  subdued  by  the  Romans ; 
who,  in  their  conquests,  here  and  there,  over  the  earth,  including 
Europe,  England,  Scotland,  and  the  northern  islands,  carrying  that 
kind  of  image  with  them  as  a  god,  or  talisman,  and  from  thence  to 
America. 


m: 


^. 


\# 


H 


ti 


▲m>   DISCOVERIES  Ilf  THE   WEST. 


im 


It  is,  however,  not  impossible,  but  it  may  be  indeed  of  trne  Ro- 
man Catholic  origin  ;  as  at  the  time  the  Romans  evacuated  Europe 
with  its  isles,  Ireland,  England,  &c.,  about  the  year  450,  this  church 
had  risen  to  grei>*  .iportance  in  the  Roman  empire,  which  aided 
her  to  establish  her  altars  in  every  country  they  had  conquered. — 
Consequently  teng  before  the  Scandinavians  colonized  Iceland, 
Greenland,  and  Labrador,  on  the  American  continent,  the  Christian 
religion  was  planted  in  the  north  of  Europe  ;  first  in  France,  in  the 
year  496,  and  then  soon  after  in  England  ;  and  so  on  farther  north 
among  the  ancient  Scandinavians,  Norwegians,  &c.,  and  by  these 
to  Iceland  and  Greenland ;  who  may  have  also  brought  this  trait 
of  that  church  to  America.  "       , 

Thie  fort  at  Cincinnati  is  a  circle,  embracing  about  three  acres, 
with  a  wall  seven  feet  high,  and  twenty  feet  broad.  At  the  back 
part  of  the  upper  level,  at  a  distance  from  the  circular  fort,  are  two 
mounds  of  about  twenty  feet  high.  One  of  these,  by  cutting  a 
trench  from  east  to  west,  four  feet  wide,  and  at  the  depth  of  ten 
feet)  came  to  some  heavy  stones,  under  which  was  a  body  of  com- 
position resembling  plaster  of  Paris.  This  broke  with  great  diffi- 
culty, when  there  were  exposed  a  few  fragments  of  an  adult  human 
skeleton,  placed  on  a  bed  of  a  similar  nature  with  the  covering. 

It  was  determined  to  ascertain  whether  the  monument  was 
erected  in  memoiy  of  one  person  or  more,  the  lower  bed  of  hard 
substance  was  also  bis^en  through,  and  underneath  a  stratum  of 
stones,  gravel  and  earth,  found  the  fragments  of  another  skeleton, 
consisting  of  one  tibia^  or  piece  of  the  shin,  two  pieces  of  the  thigh 
bone,  and  the  right  upper,  with  the  left  under  jaw. 

This  was  the  skeleton  of  a  child,  from  which  was  derived  the 
important  fact,  that  this  mound  was  not  erected  for  one  individual 
only,  but  also  for  the  infarct  chief  or  king  ;  and  that  the  nation  who 
erected  this  mound,  in  which  the  child  was  buried,  was  governed 
by  a  line  of  heteditary  chiefs  or  kings,  as  is  evident  from  the  nature 
and  distinction  of  the  interment  of  an  infant ;  who  certainly  could 
not  have  been  an  elected  chief ;  the  suffrages)  of  a  nation  could  ne- 
ver be  supposed  to  elevate  an  in/ant  as  its  king  ;  but  if  it  succee ' 
ed  by  right  of  lineal  descent,  it  might  have  been  their  king. 

The  next  relic  of  antiquity,  discovered  at  Cincinnati,  is  a  sphe- 
rical stone,  found  on  the  fall  of  a  large  portion  of  the  bank  of  the 
river.     It  is  a  green  stone,  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  divided  into 

18 


138 


AMFRICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


twelve  sides,  and  each  side  into  twelve  equal  parts,  and  each  part 
distinguished  by  hieroglyphical  engravings. 

This  beautiful  stone,  it  is  said,  is  lodged  in  tbs  cabinet  of  arts  nl 
Philadelphia.  It  is  supposed  the  stone  was  formed  for  astronomi- 
cal calculations,  conveying  a  knowledge  of  the  movements  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  • 

Farther  on  in  this  work,  is  an  account  of  a  still  more  wonderful 
stone,  covered  with  the  engravings  of  the  ancient  nations,  where  • 
fac  simile  of  the  stone  is  preserved.  •    .  . 


■M4>''     I''    I't'" 


.».'i  :CT.if 


A  CAVERN  OF  THE  WEST,  IN  WHICH  ARE  FOUND  MANY 
INTERESTING  HIEROGLYPHICS,  SUPPOSED  TO  HAVE  BEEN 
DONE  BY  THE  ANCIENT  INHABITANTS. 

-•'  \  '  ■  .^ 

On  the  Ohio,  twenty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  is 
a  cavern,  in  which  are  found  many  hieroglyphics,  and  representa- 
tions of  such  delineations  as  wculd  induce  the  belief  that  their  au- 
thors were,  indeed,  comparatively  refined  and  civilized. 

It  is  a  cave  in  a  rock,  which  presents  itself  to  view,  a  little 
above  the  water  of  the  river  when  in  flood,  and  is  situated  close  to 
the  bank.  In  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio,  this  cave  became 
possedkd  by  a  party  of  Kentuckians,  called  "  Wilson's  Gang.'' 
Wilson,  in  the  first  place,  brought  his  family  to  this  cave,  and  fit- 
ted it  up,  as  a  spacious  dwelling,  erected  a  sign-post  on  the  water 
side,  on  which  were  these  words,  "  Wilson's  Liquor  Vault,  and 
House  of  Entertainment." 

The  novelty  of  such  a  tavern,  induced  almost  all  the  boats  de- 
scending the  river  to  call  for  refreshments  and  amusement.  At- 
tracted by  these  circumstances,  several  idle  characters  took  up  their 
abode  at  the  cave,  after  which  it  continually  resounded  with  the 
shouts  of  the  licentious,  the  clamor  of  the  riotous,  and  the  blasphe- 
my of  gamblers. 

Out  of  such  customers,  Wilson  found  no  difTiculty  in  forming  a 
band  of  robbers,  ^vith  whom  he  formed  the  plan  of  murdering  the 
crews  of  every  boat  that  stopped  at  his  tavern,  and  send  the  boats 
manned  by  some  of  his  party,  to  New-Orleans,  and  there  sell  their 
loading  for  cash,  which  was  to  bo  conveyed  to  the  cave  by  land) 


Ain>   DISCOVERIES   Ilf   THE  VTEHT. 


13d 


through  the  states  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  ;  the  party  returning 
with  it  being  instructed  to  murder,  on  all  good  occasions,  on  the 
road>  .•»>';,'»■'•'»■   *»  •,-•».* ^,*'i;  • '  •"•'•    '■ ' 

After  a  lapse  of  time,  the  merchants  of  the  upper  country  began 
to  be  alarmed,  ou  f'ndiug  their  property  make  uo  returns,  and  their 
people  never  coming  back.  Several  families,  aad  respectable  men, 
who  had  gone  down  the  river,  were  never  heard  of ;  and  the  losses 
became  so  frequent,  that  it  raised,  at  length,  a  cry  of  individual  dis- 
tress and  general  dismay.  This  naturally  led  to  inquiry,  and  large 
rewards  were  offered  for  the  discovery  of  tlie  perpetrators  of  sudi 
unparallcd  crimes. 

It  soon  came  out  tliot  Wilson,  with  an  organized  party  of  forty- 
five  men,  was  the  cause  <^  such  wafte  of  blood  and  treasure  ;  that 
he  had  a  station  at  Hurricane  Island,  to  arrest  every  boat  that  pass- 
ed by  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  and  that  he  had  agents  at  Natchez 
and  New-Orleans,  of  presumed  respectability,  who  converted  his 
assignments  into  cash,  though  they  knew  the  goods  to  be  stolen,  or 
obtained  by  the  commission  of  murder. 

The  publicity  of  Wilson's  transactions  soon  broke  up  his  party  ; 
some  dispersed,  others  were  taken  prisoners,  and  he  himself  was 
killed  by  one  of  his  associates,  who  was  tempted  by  the  reward 
offered  for  the  heaa  of  the  captain  of  the  gang.  rv 

This  cavern  measures  about  twelve  rods  in  length,  and  five  in 
width  ;  its  entrance  presents  a  width  of  80  feet  at  its  base,  and  25 
feet  high.  The  interior  walls  j,fe  smooth  rock.  The  f.'-  >r  is  very 
remarkable,  being  level  through  the  whole  length  of  its  centre,  the 
aides  rising  in  stony  grades,  in  the  manner  of  seats  in  the  pit  of  a 

theatre.  ,..,•,;>■;,»  •»j''.-  ■  -''wt  ^j*  ■■-■.«.:<■■  n'ft  a;,.  .Ntirrrj'iiS. •!■»>!■','  ■,'(■* f: 
On  a  diligent  scrutiny  of  the  walls,  it  is  plainly  discerned,  that 
the  ancient  inhabitants  at  a  very  remote  period,  had  made  use  of 
the  cave  as  a  house  of  deliberatiou  and  council.  The  walls  bear 
many  hieroglyphics,  well  executed ;  and  some  of  them  represent 
animals,  which  have  no  resemblance  to  any  now  known  to  natural 
history.  ..v  .        •        >,:<...  <.-..,,.  -  a  •■,.■■  ^,WufV4t<i«.  <r.(i  .  • 

This  cavern  is  a  great  natural  curiosity,  as  it  is  connected  with 
another  still  more  gloomy,  which  is  situated  exactly  above,  united 
by  an  aperture  of  about  fourteen  feet ;  which  to  ascend  is  like  pass- 
ing up  a  chimney,  while  the  mountain  is  yet  far  above.  Not  long 
after  the  dispersion  and  arrest  of  the  robbers.  )vho  had  infested  it^ 


I 


140 


AMCRlCAir   ANTIQUITIES 


in  the  upper  vault  were  found,  the  skeletons  uf  about  itxty  personii, 
who  had  been  murdered  by  the  gang  of  Wilson,  as  was  sup^msed. 
But  the  tokens  of  antiquity  are  still  more  curious  and  important, 
than  a  description  of  the  mere  care,  which  are  found  engraved  on 
its  sides,  within,  an  account  of  which  we  proceed  to  give. 

1st.  The  sun  in  different  stages  of  rise  and  declension;  the  moon 
under  various  phases ;  a  snake,  biting  its  tail,  represents  an  orb,  or 
circle  ;  a  viper  ;  •  vulture  ;  buzzards  tearing  out  the  heart  of  a 
prostrate  man  ;  a  panther,  held  by  tlie  ears,  by  a  child  ;  a  croco- 
dile ;  several  trees  and  shrubs ;  a  fox  ;  a  curious  kind  of  hydra 
serpent  ;  two  doves  ;  several  bears  ;  two  scorpions  ;  an  eagle  ;  an 
owl  ;  some  quails ;  eight  representations  of  animals  which  are  now 
unknown.  Three  out  of  the  eight  are  like  the  elephant  in  all  re- 
spects, except  the  tusk  and  the  tail.  Two  more  resemble  the  ti- 
ger, one  a  wild  boar,  another  a  sloth  ;  and  the  last  appears  a  crea- 
ture of  fancy,  being  a  quadrumane,  instead  of  a  quadruped,  the 
claws  being  alike  before  and  behind,  and  in  the  act  of  conveying 
something  to  the  mouth,  which  lay  in  the  centre  of  the  monster. — 
Besides  these  were  several  tine  representations  of  men  and  women, 
not  naked,  but  clothed,  not  as  the  Indians,  but  much  in  the  costume 
of  Greece  and  Rome. 

We  must  at  once  perceive,  that  these  objects,  with  an  excep-' 
tion  or  two,  were  employed  by  the  ancient  Greeks,  to  display  the 
nature  of  the  world,  the  omnipotence  of  God,  tlie  attributes  of 
man,  and  the  utility  of  rendering  his  knowledge  systematic  and 
immortal. 

All  human  sciences  flourished  among  the  Egyptians  long  before 
they  were  common  \o  any  other  people  ;  the  Grecians  in  the  days 
of  Solon,  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  Pythagoras,  about 
the  snmi*  time,  Herodotus,  between  four  and  five  hundred  years 
before  (L  ist,  and  Plato,  a  little  later ;  acquired  in  Egypt,  all  that 
knowled^r>  of  nature,  which  rendered  them  so  eminent  and  remark- 
able, lint  t)\'-  Egyptian  priests  did  not  divulge  their  doctrines,  but 
by  the  uid  of  signs,  nnd  figurative  emblems.  Their  manner  was  to 
discover  to  their  auditors,  the  mysteries  of  God  and  nature,  in  hie- 
roglyphics ;  which  wen'  certain  visible  ."hapes  and  forms  of  crea- 
tures, whos»'  inclinations  and  dispositions,  led  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truths  intended  for  instruction.     All  their  divinity,  pJiilosophy, 

anil    t Ki*iP     rrr/knfricf'    uu/tt of c       nr<»PAi   /«r\nrmp«>noTknu/i      ii«   fli^ACu    iiinr/itti/^iio 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WENT. 


characters,  for  fear  they  should  be  profaned  by  a  familiar  acquain- 
tance with  the  commonalty.     ■  ^    .  -  .        •  rr   i '    %:.» i'i»fi!^,  ^^t  U  ,i 

It  requires  but  a  rapid  and  curony  view  of  the  hieroglyphics 
above  enumerated,  to  convince  us  of  design  ;  and  also  that  the 
cayern  wherein  they  are  found  engraved,  was  originally  a  place 
of  worship,  or  of  council. 

The  Hun,  the  most  glorious  of  all  visible  beings,  represented 
their  chief  god,  and  received  their  adoration,  lor  causing  all  the 
vegetation  of  the  earth  to  bring  forth  its  increase,     i    '  .!  i'      » i  i  > 

2d.  The  moon  denoted  the  next  most  beautiful  object  in  the  cre- 
ation, and  was  worshipped  for  her  own  peculiar  usefulness ;  and 
more  particularly,  for  supplying  the  place  of  the  departed  sun. 

3d.  The  snake,  in  the  form  of  an  orb,  or  circle^  biting  its  tail, 
pointed  out  the  continual  mutation  of  creatures,  and  the  change  of 
matter,  or  the  perpetual  motion  of  the  wo^d  itself.  If  so,  this  con- 
struction of  that  hieroglyphic,  the  snake,  agrees  with  the  Oreek 
figure,  of  the  same  kind  ;  which  implies  that  the  world  feeds  upon 
itself,  and  receives  from  itself  in  return,  a  continual  supply  for 
renovation  and  nourishment ;  the  same  symbol  designated  the  year 
which  revolves  round,  and  ends  where  it  first  began,  like  the  ser- 
pent with  its  tail  in  its  mouth  ;  it  is  believed  the  ancient  Greeks 
gave  it  this  meaning.         ''•.'.•  '  •  *     .  '  v.*' 

4lh.  The  viper,  the  most  venomous  of  all  creatures,  was  the  em- 
blem of  the  devil,  or  wicked  angel ;  for,  as  its  poison  is  quick  and 
powerful  IS  th«::  destroying  spirit,  in  bringing  on  juankind  evils, 
which  can  only  be  opposed  by  the  grace  and  power  of  God. 

5th.  The  vulture,  tearing  out  the  bowels  of  a  prostrate  man, 
■Mons  a  moral  intending  to  reprove  fierceness  and  cruelty.  Dr. 
Rush  says  this  hieroglyphic  represents  in(empera,'ce,  and  by  them 
was  so  understood.  •  -  ^    -■ 

6th.  The  panther,  held  by  the  ears  by  a  child,  was  meant  to  im- 
press a  sense  of  the  dominion  of  innocence  and  virtue  over  oppres- 
sion and  vice ;  or  perhaps  it  bore  the  (jreek  meaning,  of  a  wretch 
encompassed  with  difficulties,  which  he  vainly  attempts  to  avoid. 

7th.  The  crocodile,  from  its  power  and  might,  was  another  sym- 
bol of  the  Great  Spirit ;  or  its  being  the  only  creature  without  a 
tongue,  might  have  given  it  a  title  to  the  same  honour,  all  heathen 
nations  concur  in  representing  their  gods,  beholding  and  doing  all 
things,  in  h«Hven  and  earth,  in  nrofound  silence. 


m 


n.   AMKHlCAIf  ANTI(itltlE6     1^^ 


Btbo  I'he  several  trees  and  shrubs  were  undoubtedly  emblemat- 
ical of  particular  virtues^  as  represented  in  this  temple  the  cave, 
from  a  veneration  for  their  aromatic  and  healing  properties.  Among 
the  ancients,  we  know,  that  the  palm  tree  and  the  laurel  were  em- 
blems  of  victory  and  deserved  honour ;  the  myrtle,  of  pleasure ; 
the  cedar,  of  eternity ;  the  oak,  of  strength ;  the  olive  tree,  of 
fniitfulness ;  the  vine,  of  delight  and  joy ;  and  the  lily,  of  beauty- 
But  what  those  in  the  cave  imply,  it  is  not  possible  to  determine, 
as  nothing  of  their  character  can  be  deduced  from  the  manner  they 
were  sketched  on  the  surface  of  a  rough  wall,  wliere  the  design  is 
obscured  by  smoke,  or  nearly  obliterated  from  the  elTect  of  damp, 
and  the  gradual  decay  of  time. 

9th.  The  fox,  from  every  authority,  was  pat  ta,  denote  subtility 
«nd. craftiness.  'fr^-  ,.■  y,.  ..^.v-    ..';«,  .^1^;.. (■;;■:*,,;,., ^ 

10th.  The  hydra  serpent  probaly  signified  malice  and  envy^ 
passions  which  the  hieioglyphic  taught  mankind  to  avoid.     <iit.f^M^ 

11th.  The  two  doves  were  hieroglyphics  of  constancy  in  love ; 
all  nations  agree  in  this,  in  admiring  the  attachment  of  doves. 

12th.  The  bears,  it  is  apprehended,  signify  industry,  labour  and 
patience ;  for  the  Indians  believe  the  cubs  of  the  bear  come  into 
the  world  with  misshapen  parts,  and  that  their  eyes,  ears  and  other 
s^embers  are  licked  into  form  by  the  mother,  who  passes  days  in 
that  anxious  and  unceasing  employ,  ^j*  la&r^  !^.v!9?»js:*^  mv^;^-- ., 

13th.  The  scoipions  were  calculated  to  inspire  a  detestation  for 
malignity  and  vice  ;  even  the  present  race  of  Indians  hold  these 
animals  in  great  disgust,  liealing  wounds  inflicted  by  them  with  a 
preparation  ol  their  own  blood. 

14th.  The  eagle  represents,  and  is  held  to  this  day,  as  the  em- 
blem of  *  great,  noble,  and  liberal  mind ;  fierce  in  war,  conquering 
the  enemy,  and  protecting  bis  friends ;  he  among  the  Indians,  who 
can  do  this,  is  compared  with  the  eagle. 

15th.  The  owl  must  have  been  set  up  to  deter  men  from  deceit 
and  hypocrisy.  He  cannot  endure  the  light  of  the  sun,  nor  can  hy- 
pocrisy bear  that  of  truth  and  sinceritjr.  He  may  have  been  the 
emblem  of  death  and  wretchedness,  as  among  the  Egyptians ;  or 
of  victory  and  prosperity,  when  in  a  flyiug  attitude,  as  among  the 
Greeks 

16th. 
•ignify  the  com  season,  and  point  out  the  time  for  the  usage  of  some 


The  ouails  afS>rd  no  clue  to  thpir  hlernoflvnTiIc-  udIpss  they 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  Ittt-  WEiST. 


149 


particular  rites  and  ceremonies  of  a  religioVis  natute.  With  the 
Greeks,  they  were  emblematical  of  impiety,  from  a  belief  that  they 
enrage  and  torment  themselves  when  the  crescent  of  the  new  mooft 
appears.      ^?  'Mim ••s»^Mii**#t.  m mm'Wsm;  iinm:ifiTi^lmi  -im.  ■ 

17th.  The  representations  of  the  larger  animals,  were  doubtless^' 
indicative  of  the  power  and  attributes  of  the  Great  Spirit :  The 
mammoth  showing  his  greatneaa;  the  tyger,  his  strength;  the  boar, 
his  wrath  ;  the  sloth,  his  patience  ;  and  the  noodescript,  his  fudden 
virtues,  which  are  past  finding  out.  '  ^•'■'  »'  wJ.#t*i:i 

18th.  The  human  figures  are  more  definite,  and  aflford  inferences 
more  certain,  on  account  of  the  dreus  they  are  represented  in ; 
which  resembles  the  Roman ;  the  figures  would  be  taken  for  Eu- 
ropean antiquities,  were  it  not  for  the  character  and  manner  of  the 
heads. 

The  dress  of  these  figures,  consisting  of,  1st.  A  carbasus,  or  rich 
cloak ;  2d,  a  sabucala^  or  waistcoat  or  shirt ;  3d,  a  supparum,  or 
breeches  open  at  the  knees ;  4th,  solea,  or  sandals,  tied  across  tha 
toes  and  heels ;  5th,  the  head,  embraced  by  a  bandean  crowned* 
with  feathers. 

19th.  The  dress  of  the  females,  carved  in  this  cave,  have  a  Gre- 
cian cast,  the  hair  encirled  by  the  crown,  and  was  confined  by  a 
bodkin ;  the  remaining  part  of  this  costume  was  Roman :  Ist.  The 
garments  called  stolla,  or  perhaps  the  toga  pura,  flounced  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  ground :  2d,  an  indusium  appeared  imderneath  £ 
3d,  the  indusium  was  confined  under  the  breast,  by  a  zone  or  ces- 
tus :  and,  4th,  aandals,  in  the  manner  of  those  of  the  men. 

Could  all  this  have  been  produced  by  the  mere  caprice  of  abori' 
ginal  artizans — we  think  not ;  they  have,  in  this  instance,  either  re- 
corded their  own  manners,  in  tne  one  particular  of  costume,  or  they 
have  represented  tuat  of  others,  who  had  come  among  them  as 
strangers,  and  wonderfully  induces  the  belief,  that  such  were  Greeks^ 
Romans,  or  some  nation  of  the  earth,  whose  mode  of  dress  was 
similar. 

Viewed  in  the  most  critical  manner,  this  instance  of  American 
antiquity  cannot  fail  to  excite  in  the  mind  surprise,  when  we  con- 
trast this  with  the  commonly  received  opinion,  that  Columbus  was 
the  first  discoverer  of  this  country.   »  i^,y.\     ,!?,;»*!''»»>  \m&h't:.M\lrm 

The  hieroglyphic  carved  in  this  cave,  which  represents  a  child 
holding  or  leading  a  panther,  brings  forcibly  to  the  mind  a  similar 


'Ai 


TT72': 


'%fi'i 


I 


144 


iMBRICAN  AtVTIQUltiBS 


idea  in  ihe  Hebrew  Scriptures,  in  the  Book  of  Laiah,  chapter  14, 
6th  verse,  where  it  is  said  the  wolf,  the  leopard  and  the  young  lion 
shall  be  led  by  a  child ;  and  relate^  to  the  period  when  both  natu- 
ral and  moral  evil  shall  have  no  existence  in  the  earth,  as  is  be- 
lieved by  some,  -.•fstras,  %%<ti^A  ijif'W^-riiii^t^rA^ri^:'jit  «>/l  ■.:*.Ut?'  ■ 
•).  In  this  cave,  it  appears,  there  are  sketched  on  the  rock  the  figures 
of  several  animals,  now  extinct ;  among  which  are  three,  much 
resembling  the  elephant,  the  tail  and  tusks  excepted.  It  would  be 
passing  the  bounds  of  credulity  to  suppose  the  artists  who  delineat- 
ed those  figures,  would  represent  no  less  than  eight  animals,  differ- 
ing in  their  configuration,  one  from  the  other,  which  had  in  reality 
no  being,  and  such  as  these  had  never  been  seen,   r  i  v.f    ■     < 

We  suppose  the  animals  resembling  the  elephant,  to  have  been 
the  mammoth,  and  that  those  ^ancients  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  creature,  or  they  could  never  have  engraved  it  on  the  rock. 
Job,  of  the  Scriptures,  who  was  a  native  of  the  land  of  Uz,  in  Idu- 
mea,  which  is  situated  southwest  of  the  lake  Asphaltidese,  or  sea 
of  Sodom,  was  also  well  acquainted  with  this  animal.  See  Job, 
chapter  40  :  *'  Behold  now  Behemoth,  which  I  made  with  thee  ; 
he  eateth  grass  as  an  ox.  Lo,  now  his  strength  is  in  his  loins ;  and 
his  force  in  the  navel  of  his  belly.  He  moveth  his  tail  like  a  ce- 
dar  ;  the  sinews  of  his  loins  are  wrapped  together.  His  bones  are 
as  strong  pieces  of  brass  ;  his  bones  are  like  bars  of  iron.  He  is 
the  chief  of  the  ways  of  God."  i  *.*!  ..  ;J>;:-<'^;  m'-:  '■■.''•^■'■}<  'U:!c 
^  Whoever  has  examined  the  skeleton  of  one  of  those  animals,  now 
in  the  Philadelphia  museum,  will  acknowledge  the  bones  are  equal 
to  bars  of  brass  or  iron. 

Its  height  over  the  shoulders,  is  eleven  feet ;  from  the  point  of 
the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  following  the  exterior  or  curve,  is 
twenty-one  feet ;  a  single  tooth  weighs  four  pound  ten  ounces. — 
The  rib  bones  are  six  inches  in  width,  and  in  thickness  three  ;  the 
whole  skeleton  as  it  is,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  bones,  weighs 
one  thousand  pounds. 

But  how  tremendous  must  that  animal  have  been,  to  which  the 
tooth  weighing  twenty-five  pounds,  found  in  the  earth  at  Cincin- 
nati belonged,  more  than  five  times  the  dimensions  of  the  one  de- 
scribed above  ;  arguing,  from  proportion,  that  is,  if  a  tooth  belong- 
ed to  a  skeleton  weighing  one  thousand  pounds,  was  found  to  be 
four  pounds  ten  ounces ;  a  tooth  weighing  twenty-five  pounds, 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


145 


would  give  a  skeleton  of  more  than  five  thousand  pounds.  And  if 
the  calculation  be  carried  forward  in  this  sort  of  proportion,  -we 
shall  produce  an  animal  more  than  forty  feet  high,  and  nearly  an 
hundred  in  length,  with  a  proportionable  thickness. 

What  would  be  the  sensation,  if  we  were  to  meet  an  animal  of 
this  sort  in  his  ancient  haunts  ;  it  would  almost  appear  a  moving 
mountain ;  but  add  to  this,  the  enormous  eyes  of  the  animal,  set  at 
a  frightful  distance  from  each^other,  with  an  amplitude  of  forehead 
between,  clothed  like  the  side  of  a  hill,  with  a  forest  of  shaggy 
hair  ;  a  mouth,  gaping  like  some  drear  cavern,  set  round  w^  teeth 
sufficient  to  crush  a  buffalo  at  a  mouthful ;  its  distended  nostrils 
emitting  vapor  like  the  puffs  of  a  steam  boat,  with  a  sound,  when 
breathing,  that  might  be  heard  afar ;  the  legs  appearing  in  size  of 
dimensions  sufficient  to  bear  a  ship  on  his  shoulders  ;  and  his  feet 
or  paws  spread  out  like  a  fanner's  corn  fan,  armed  with  claws  like 
flukes  to  an  anchor  of  a  vessel  of  war ;  the  tail,  as  it  is  said  in  Job, 
waving  to  and  fro,  like  a  cedar  bending  before  the  wind.  But  add 
to  all  this,  anger;  let  him  hut  put  his  fierceness  on,  his  eyes  flash  fire,his 
tail  elevated  aloft,  lashing  the  ground,  here  and  there,  at  a  dreadful 
distance  from  his  body  ;  his  voice  like  the  double  rolling  of  thunder, 
jarring  the  wilderness ;  at  which  every  living  thing  wjuld  tremble, 
anJ  drop  to  theearth.  Such  an  animal  would  indeed  be  the  "  Chief  of 
the  ways  of  God,"  it  w^uld  be  perfectly  safe  in  the  midst  of  a  tor- 
nado in  the  wilderness ;  no  tree,  or  a  forest  of  them,  could  possi- 
bly harm  the  monster  by  falling  against  it ;  it  would  shake  them 
off,  as  mere  troublesome  insecu,  as  smaller  animals  do  the  flies,  in 
a  summer's  day. 

The  one  in  Peale's  museum,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  a  page 
or  two  back,  is  one  out  of  nine  skeletons  of  this  monster,  which 
were  dug  out  of  the  earth  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Shongum 
mountain,  in  Ulster  county,  on  the  southwestern  side  of  the  state 
of  New- York,  eight  of  which  were  sent  to  Europe.  See  SpafTorf^'s 
Gazetteer  of  New- York. 

Near  Rochester,  in  the  state  of  New-York,  in  1S33,  two  teeth  of 
this  animal  were  discovered,  but  a  small  depth  beneath  the  surface. 
They  were  found  in  the  town  of  Perrinton,  near  FuUam's  Basin, 
some  time  ago,  by  Mr.  William  Mann,  who  was  engaged  in  dig- 
ging up  a  stump.  They  were  deposited  about  four  feet  below  the 
surface  of  the  earth.    These  were  in  a  tolerably  good  state  of  pre- 

19 


'^t 


\i 


146 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


servation  ;  the  roots  begin  to  crumble  a  little,  but  the'eflamel  of 
the  teeth  is  in  almost  a  pertect  state.  The  teeth  were  the  gn  i- 
"iTSj  and  f^' .  their  appearan(;e,  were  located  :n  the  back  part  of  the 
upper  jaw.  The  largest  one  weighs  three  pounds  and  ten  aunccs, 
measuring  six  inches  lengthwise  of  the  jaw,  and  three  inches  across 
the  top,  the  root  is  about  six  inches  long  with  several  prongs.  The 
other  tooth  is  smaller.  If  we  are  to  suppose  this  animal  to  have  the 
same  number  of  teeth  that  other  animals  commonly  have,  and  that 
the  rest  of  the  teeth  were  of  the  same  proportions,  as  to  size,  the 
circle  of  the  jaw  from  one  end  to  the  other  must  have  been  six 
feet.  Again,  if  we  were  to  estimate  the  comparative  size  of  this 
tooth  with  that  of  a  large  ox,  and  from  thence  infer  the  size  of  the 
animal  to  which  this  tooth  belonged,  we  should  probablj  find  that 
its  size  was  forty  times  larger  than  our  largest  oxen. 

A  forest  of  trees  would  soon  be  nibbled  to  their  roots  by  a  herd 
of  such  animals  as  these  ;  and  the  western  continent  would  prove 
a  small  enough  pasture  for  a  moderate  number  of  them. 
'  Doctor  Adam  Clarke  mentions,  in  his  commentary  on  the  sub- 
ject of  this  animal,  denominated  Behemoth  in  Job,  40th  chapter, 
15th  verse,  that  he  had  weighed  one  of  the  very  smallest  grinders 
of  an  animal  of  this  supposed  extinct  race,  and  found  it,  in  its  very 
dry  state,  to  weigh  "  four  pounds  eight  ounces ;"  "  the  same  grind- 
er of  an  elephant,  says  Dr.  Clarke,  I  have  weighed  also,  and  find 
it  but  two  pounds  ;  the  mammoth,  therefore,  continues  this  great 
author,  from  this  proportion,  must  J^ve  been  as  large  as  tuo  ele- 
phants and  a  quarter." 

If,  then,  an  animal  of  this  kind,  having  a  tooth  weighing  only 
four  pounds  and  eight  ounces,  was  more  than  twice  as  large  as  an 
ordinary  elephant,  how  unwieldly  and  monstrous  must  have  been 
the  animal  to  which  the  tooth  just  mentioned,  weighing  twenty-five 
pounds,  once  belonged,  arguing  from  proportion,  as  Dr.  Clarke  has 
done. 

The  same  author,  in  his  Biblical  Commentary,  on  the  first  Book 
of  Genisis,  says,  that  from  a  considerable  part  of  a  skeleton  which 
he  had  seen  and  examined,  it  was  computed  that  the  animal,  when 
living,  must  have  been  nearly  twenty-five  feet  high  and  sixty  fere 
in  length  ;  the  bones  of  one  toe  were  entire,  and  were  something 


more  than  three  feci  loug.     T!'b  height  of  the  uuimul,  as  Cuiiiputed 
by  Dr.  Clarke,  will  agree  well  with  the  observations  of  travellers. 


:W 


r>'.' 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


147 


Iq  the  vicinity  of  May's  Lick,  or  Salt  Spring,  in  the  state  of  Ken- 
tucky, there  are  several  holes,  marked  in  such  a  manner  as  to  pro- 
claim at  once  that  they  were  formed  by  animals  wallowing  in 
them,  after  they  had  bathed,  and  satiated  themselves  with  the  wa- 
ters of  the  fountain ;  these  were  the  vrorks  of  bufialos,  deer,  and 
other  small  animals. 

But  the  same  appearances  are  evident  in  some  banks  in  the 
neighborhood,  whish  were  hollowed  in  a  semi-circular  manner, 
from  the  action  of  beasts  rubbing  against  them,  and  earring  off 
quantities  of  the  earth  on  their  hides,  forming  a  thick  coat,  to  de- 
fend aginst  the  stings  of  numberless  flies,  like  the  rhinoceros  of  Afri- 
ca. One  of  those  scooped  out  hollow  banks,  appeared  like  the 
side  of  a  hill  from  which  an  hundred  thousand  loads  of  soil  might 
have  been  carried  off ;  the  height  of  the  wasted  bank,  where  it 
was  affected  by  attrition,  was  at  least  twenty-five  feet.  The  other 
animals,  being  smaller,  could  get  down  and  up  again  from  their 
wallowing,  with  ease  and  quickness ;  but  the  mammoths  were  com- 
pelled, from  their  size,  to  lean  against  some  hill  or  mountain,  so 
as  to  coat  their  hide  with  earth. 

Near  this  spot  are  often  found  the  frames  of  this  animal,  sunk  in 
the  mire.  In  the  state  of  Missouri,  between  White  River  end 
Strawberry  River,  are  certain  ranges  of  mountains,  at  whose  base, 
in  a  certain  spot,  are  found  •'  large  quantities  of  these  bones  gather- 
ed in  a  small  compass,  which  collection  was  doubtless  occasioned 
by  the  appetite  which  these  animals  had  for  prey.  Attracted 
in  this  way  to  these  marshy%laces,  they  were  evidently  mired 
when  they  ventured  too  far  in,  and  of  course  the  struggles  of  the 
last  one  would  sink  the  bones  of  his  predecessor  still  deeper.  Thus 
these  collections  are  easily  accounted  for,  although,  at  first,  it  seems 
very  strange  to  see  these  bones  accumulated,  like  those  of  some  ot 
the  extinct  Indian  tribes  of  the  west."  Beck's  Gazetter  of  Illinois 
and  Missouri,  page  332. 

Adam  Clarke  supposes  the  Behemoth  to  have  been  a  camiverous 
animal.  See  his  remarks  on  this  monster,  in  his  Commentary  on 
Job,  40th  chapter,  16th  verse  :  "  The  Behemoth,  on  the  contrary, 
(i.  e.  in  opposition  to  the  habits  of  the  hippopotamus  and  elephant,) 
is  represented  as  a  quadrtiped  of  a  ferocious  nature,  af.J  formed  for 
tyranny,  if  not  rapacity  ;  equally  lord  of  the  floods  and  of  the 
mountains  ;  rushing  with  rapidity  of  foot,  instead  of  slowness  or 


i 


146 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


-stateliness  ;  and  possessing  a  rigid  and  enormous  tail,  like  a  cedar 
tree,  instead  of  a  shor^  naked  tail  of  about  a  foot  long,  as  the  hip 
popotamus,  or  a  weak,  blender,  hog  shaped  tail,  as  the  elephant." 

Job  says,  chap.  40th,  verse  17th,  that  he,  (this  monster,)  movetb 
his  tail  like  a  cedar,  i.  e.  its  motions  were  lil^e  those  of  a  tall  cedar 
tree  moved  slowly  one  way  and  the  other  by  the  wind ;  which  ex- 
plicitly and  emphatically  marks  the  monstrunsness  of  this  creature's 
size.  ^'  He  moveth  his  tail  like  a  cedar,"  slowly  one  way  and  the 
other  ;  exactly  as  the  lion,  the  tiger,  or  the  leopard,  in  the  motions 
of  this  limb,  especially  when  angry,  or  when  watching  for  their 
prey  ;  on  which  account,  it  is  probable.  Job  has  seen  fit  to  make 
mention  of  this  peculiar  motion  of  the  animal ;  and  also  it  is  an  ev- 
idence of  the  overwhelming  power  or  strength  of  the  mammoth. — 
He  was,  indeed,  as  it  is  said  in  Job,  "  the  chief  of  the  ways  of 
God,"  in  the  creation  of  animals. 

At  St.  Helen's  Point,  north  of  Guayaquil,  in  the  republic  of  Co- 
lombia, South  America,  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  on  the  equator, 
are  found  the  enormous  remains  of  this  animal.  The  Peruvian  tra- 
dition of  those  bones  is,  that  at  thia  yery  point  once  landed,  from 
some  unknown  quarter,  of  the  earth,  a  colony  of  giants,  who  mutu- 
ally^stroyed  each  other.  At  New  Grenada,  in  the  same  province, 
and  on  the  ridge  of  the  Mexican  Cordilleras,  vast  quantities  of  the 
remains  of  this  huge  beast  are  found. — HumboldVs  Researchers  iu 
South  America. 

The  remains  of  a  monster,  recently  discoverd  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  in  Louisiania,  seventf|n  feet  under  ground,  may  be 
considered  as  the  greatest  wonder  of  the  west.  The  largest  bone, 
which  was  thought  to  be  the  shoulder  blade,  or  jaw  bone,  is  twenty 
feet  long,  three  broad,  and  weighed  twelve  hundred  pounds.  The 
aperture  in  the  vertebre,  or  place  for  the  pith  of  the  back  bone,  is 
six  by  nine  inches  caliber  ;  supposed,  when  alive,  to  have  been  an 
hundred  and  twenty- five  in  length.  The  awful  and  tremendous 
size  of  what  this  creature  must  have  been,  to  which  this  shoulder 
blade,  or  jaw  bone,  belonged,  when  alive,  is  almost  frightful  to 
think  of. 

In  President  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  we  have  the  follow- 
ing, as  the  tradition  of  the  Indians  respecting  this  animal,  which 
Hhty  call  the  Big  Bufialo,  and  assert  that  he  is  carniverous,  as  Dr. 

(jlMrlrA  f>nnfntiila.   anA  ctill  aviBta  in  iVta  nrtrfliorn  nartt.  i\f    A  mApirfi 


AND  CMCOVERt&S  IN  THE   WEST. 


149 


^  A  delegation  of  warriors  from  the  Delaware  tribe,  visited  the 
.government  of  Virginia,  during  the  Revolution,  on  matters  of  busi- 
ness ;  after  this  had  been  discussed,  and  settltd  in  council,  the 
|[overnor  asked  some  questions  relative  to  their  country,  and,  among 
others,  what  they  kiiew,  or  had  heard  of  the  animal  whose  bonea 
were  found  at  the  licks  on  the  Ohio. 

Their  chief  speaker  immediately  pUt  himself  into  an  attitude  of 
t)ratory,  and  with  a  pomp  suited  co  what  he  conceived  the  elevation 
of  his  subject,  informed  him  ihat  it  was  a  tradition,  handed  down 
from  their  fathers,  that  in  ancient  times  a  herd  of  these  tremendous 
animals  came  to  tLe  Big  Bone  Lick,  and  began  an  universal  de- 
litruction  of  the  bear,  deer,  elk,  buffaloes,  and  other  animals,  which 
iiad  been  created  for  the  use  of  the  Indians. 

And  that  the  Cfreat  Man  above,  looking  down,  and  seeing  thiif) 
was  so  enraged,  that  he  seized  his  lightening ;  descended  on  the 
earth,  seated  himself  on  a  neighboring  mountain,  on  a  certain  rock^ 
where  the  print  of  his  feet  are  still  remaining,  from  whence  file 
hurled  hie  bolts  among  them,  till  the  whole  were  slaughtered ;  ex- 
cept the  big  bull,  who  presenting  his  forehead  to  the  shafts,  shook 
them  off  as  they  fell,  but  at  length,  one  of  them  missing  hi»  head, 
glanced  on  his  side,  wounding  him  sufficiently  to  make  him  mad  ;. 
whereon,  springing,  round,  he  bounded  over  the  Ohio,  at  a  leapy 
then  over  the  Wabash  at  another,  the  Illinois  at  a  t  aird,  and  a  fourth 
leap,  over  the  great  lakes,  where  he  is  living  at  tiis  day." 

"  A  Mr.  Stanley,  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indiai  is  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  river,  relates  that  after  being  t  ansferred  through 
several  tribes,  was  at  length  carried  over  the  mountains  west  of  the 
Missouri,  to  a  river  which  runs  westwardly ,  that  these  bones  a-> 
bounded  there  and  that  the  nations  described  to  him  the  animal 
to  which  these  belonged,  as  still  living  in  the  northern  parts  of  their 
country." 

Mr.  Jefferson  contends,  at  page  77,  of  his  Notes  on  Virginia,  that 
this  animal  is  not  exi  uci.  "  It  may  be  asked,"  says  this  philoso- 
pher, "  why  I  insert  the  mammoth  as  if  it  still  existed.  I  ask  in 
return,  why  I  should  on>it  it,  as  if  it  did  not  exist.  The  northern 
and  western  parts  still  rem-»in  in  their  aborignal  state,  unexplored 
and  undisturbed  by  us,  or  by  others  for  us.  He  may  as  well  exist 
there  now  as  he  did  formerly,  where  we  find  his  bones.  If  he  be 
A  carnivorous  animal,  as  souie  anatomists  have  conjectured,  and  the 


150 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Indians  affirm,  his  early  retiremeut  to  deeper  tvilds,  may  be  ac- 
counted for,  from  the  great  destruction  of  the  wild  game,  by  the 
Indians,  which  commenced  in  the  very  first  instant  of  their  connex- 
ion with  us,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  matchcoats,  hatchets, 
and  guns,  with  their  skins." 

The  description  of  this  monster's  habits,  as  given  by  the  Dela- 
ware chief,  has  a  surprising  agreement  with  the  account  ot  the  Be- 
hemoth, given  by  Job ;  especially  at  this  verse :  "  Surely  the  moun- 
tains bring  him  forth  food,  where  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  play." 
"  He  frequents  those  places  (says  Dr.  Clarke)  where  he  can  have 
most  prey,  he  makes  a  mock  of  all  the  beasts  of  tho  field.  They 
can  neither  resist  his  power,  nor  escape  his  agility."  ''  It  appears 
(says  the  above  author)  "  to  have  been  a  many  toed  animal ;  the 
springs  which  such  a  <^reature  could  make,  must  have  been  almost 
incredible ;  nothing  by  swiftness  could  have  escaped  its  pii  suit. 
God  seems  to  have  made  it  as  the,  proof  of  his  power,  and  had  it 
been  prolific,  and  not  become  extinct,  it  would  have  depopulated 
the  earth. 


TRACKS  OF  MEN  AND  ANIMALS  IN  THE  ROCKS  OF  TENNES- 
,     SEE,  AND  ELSEWHERE. 

Among  the  subjects  of  antiqnitv,  which  are  abundant  on  the 
American  continent,  we  give  the  following,  from  Morse's  Universal 
Geography,  which  in  point  of  mysteriousness  is  not  surpassed,  per- 
haps on  the  globe.  In  the  State  of  Tennessee,  on  a  certain  moun- 
tain, called  the  enchanted  mountain,  situated  a  few  miles  south  of 
Braystown,  which  is  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Tennessee  river,  «re 
found  impressed  in  the  surface  of  the  solid  rock,  a  great  number  of 
tracks,  as  turkies,  bears,  horses,  and  human  beings,  as  perfect  as 
they  could  be  made  on  snow  or  sand.  The  human  tracks  are  re- 
markable for  having  uniformly  si-x  toes  each  ;  one  only  excepted, 
which  appears  to  be  the  print  of  a  negroe's  foot.  One,  among  those 
tracks,  is  distinguished  from  the  rest,  by  its  monstrousness,  being  of 
no  less  dimcsssens  than  sixteen  inches  in  length,  across  the  toes 


■   •  .■ ,  m.  i   - 


AND  DISCOvkRIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


il(i 


leir  connex- 


tbirte^ii  inches,  behind  the  toea,  where  the  foot  narrows  toward  the 
instep,  seven  inches,  and  the  heel  ball  five  inches. 

One  also  among  the  tracks  ol  the  animals,  is  distinguished  for  its 
great  size :  it  is  the  track  of  a  horse,  measuring  eight  by  ten  inches ; 
perhaps  the  horse  which  the  great  warrior  led  when  passing  this 
mountain  with  his  army.  That  these  are  the  real  tracks  of  the 
animals  tbey  represent,  appearn  from  the  circumstance  of  this  horae's 
foot  having  slipped  several  inches,  and  recovered  again  ;  the  fig- 
ures have  all  the  same  direction,  Uke  the  trail  of  a  company  on  a 
journey. 

Not  far  from  this  very  spot,  are  vast  heaps  of  stones,  which  are 
the  supposed  tombs  of  warriors,  slain,  perhaps  in  the  very  battle 
this  big  footed  warrior  was  engaged  in,  at  a  period  w^en  these 
mountains,  which  give  rise  to  some  branches  of  the  Tugulo,  Apa-> 
lachicola,  and  Hiwassa  rivers,  were  in  a  state  of  ^oft  and  clayey 
texture. 

We  are  of  the  opinion  that  these  tracks  found  sunk  in  the  sur- 
face of  the  rocks  of  this  mountain,  is  indubitable  evidence  of  theif 
antiquity,  going  bark  to  the  time  when  men  dispersed  over  the  earthy 
immediately  after  the  flood. 

At  the  period  when  this  troop  passed  the  summit  of  this  moun« 
tain,  the  rock  was  in  a  soft  and  yielding  state  ;  time,  therefore,  suf* 
ficient  for  it  to  harden  to  its  present  rock  consistency,  is  the  argu-* 
ment  of  the  great  distance  of  time  elapsed  since  they  went  over  it 

It  is  probable  the  whole  of  these  mountains,  out  of  which  arise 
the  branches  of  the  rivers  above  alluded  to,  were  at  the  time  whett 
the  deluge  subsided,  but  a  vast  body  of  clay,  for  even  now,  the  sur- 
face, where  it  is  not  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  is  of  a  soft  text- 
ure, capable  of  being  cut  with  a  knife,  and  appears  to  be  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  pipe  stone. 

In  order  that  those  tracks  might  retain  their  shape  against  the 
operation  of  rains,  the  clay  must  have  been  of  a  tough  and  oily  na- 
ture ;  and  hardened  by  slow  degrees,  after  having  been  brought  to 
feel  the  influence  of  the  sun's  rays,  and  tlie  drying  nature  of  the 
winds.  The  changing  and  revolutionising  consequences  of  the 
flood,  it  is  likely,  unbared  these  bodies  of  clay  from  the  depths  of 
the  earth,  by  washing  oft'  all  the  other  kinds  of  strata,  not  so  adhe- 
sive  as  is  the  nature  of  this  clay ;    out  of  .which  these  ranges  of 


'm:m^:'j,;h;^.-. 


-"irr»^'7  T*  T"' 


162 


AMERICAN  ANTlQUlTlCf 


I 


mountains  have  been  made,  some  eighteen  hundred  years  later  thaa 
the  original  creation. 

In  the  wild  and  savage  country  of  Guiana,  in  South  Americn 
are  mountains  of  a  prodigious  height,  on  >vhose  smooth  and  perpen- 
dicular sides  which  seem  once  to  have  been  a  barrier  to  mighty 
vroters,  are  engraved,  at  a  surprising  distance  from  their  base,  the 
figures  of  animals ;  also  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  with  other  hiero- 
glyphical  signs. 

The  tradition  respecting  them,  among  the  natives,  is  that  that 
their  their  ancestors,  in  a  time  of  great  waters,  came  in  canoes,  to 
the  tops  of  these  mountains,  and  that  the  stones  were  then  so  soft, 
and  plastic,  that  men  could  easily  trace  marks  on  them  with  their 
fingers,  or  with  sticks. 

These  rocks,  it  would  appear,  were  then  in  a  state  similar  to 

those  in  Tennessee,  vvhi^ii  also  had  retained  the  impressions  made  on 

them  by  the  feet  of  the  traveller.  But  these  mysterious  traces 
found  on  the  mountain  in  Tennessee,  are  not  the  only  impiessions 

of  the  kind.  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  in  his  travels  in  the  central  parts  of 
the  Mississippi  regions,  informs  us  that  on  the  limestone  stiata  of 
rock,  which  forms  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  and  along  the 
neighborhood  of  St.  Louis,  were  found  tracks  of  the  human  foot, 
deeply  and  perfectly  impressed  in  the  solid  stone.  But  two  traces 
of  this  sort  have  been,  as  yet,  discovered  ;  these  are  the  same  re- 
presented on  <he  plate,  as  given  by  Schoolcraft. — See  plate. 

"  The  impressions  in  the  stone  are,  to  all  appearance,  those  of  a 
man  standing  in  an  erect  posture,  with  the  left  foot  a  little  advanc- 
ed, and  the  heels  drawn  in.  The  distance  between  the  heels,  by 
accurate  measurement,  is  six  inches  and  a  quarter,  and  between  the 
extremities  of  the  toes,  thirteen  and  a  half.  The  length  of  these 
tracks  is  ten  and  a  quarter  inches,  across  the  toes  four  inches  and  a 
half,  as  spread  out,  and  but  two  and  a  half  at  the  heel.  Di.ectly 
before  the  prints  of  these  feet,  within  a  few  inches,  is  a  well  im- 
pressed and  deep  mark,  having  some  resemblance  to  a  scroll^  or 
roll  of  parchment,  two  feet  long,  by  a  foot  in  width. 

To  account  for  these  appearances,  two  theories  are  advanced ; 
one  is,  that  they  were  sculptured  there  by  the  ancient  nations :  the 
other,  that  they  were  impressed  there  at  a  time  when  the  rock  was 
in  a  plastic  state ;  both  theories  have  their  difficulties,  but  we  in- 
cline iv  iiic  latter,  uecause  the  iujpreBsIoiiH  are  sirinkingiy  natural, 


AND   DIgCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


153 


lays  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  exhibiting  even  the  muscular  me rk>  of  the 
foot,  with  great  precision  and  faithfulness  to  nature,  and  on  this  ac- 
count, weakens,  in  his  opinion,  the  doctrine  of  their  being  sculp- 
tured by  the  ancient  nations. 

But  why  there  are  no  others  going  to  and  from  these,  is  unac- 
countable, unless  we  may  suppose  the  rest  of  this  rock,  at  that  time, 
was  buried  by  earth,  brush,  grass,  or  som'i  kind  of  covering.  If 
they  were  sculptured,  why  not  other  specimen..^  appear,  this  one 
isolated  effort  of  the  kind,  would  seem  unnatural. — iS!ee  the  plate, 
which  is  a  true  Jac  simik  of  those  tracks. 


COTUBAMANA,  THE  GIANT  CHIEF. 

On  the  subject  of  the  stature  of  the  Patagonians,  wc  have  the 
following  remarks  of  Morse,  the  geographer.  "  We  cannot,  with- 
out a  charge  of  unreasonable  scepticism,  deny  all  credence  to  the 
accounts  that  have  been  transmitted  to  us,  of  a  race  of  men  of  ex- 
traordinary stature,  in  the  country  about  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 

Inscrutable  as  are  the  ways  of  Providence,  and  as  limited  as  is 
the  progress  hitherto  made,  in  the  natural  philosophy  of  the  globe 
we  inhabit,  no  bounds  can  be  assigned  to  the  endless  variety  of 
phenomena,  which  successively  appear.  The  man  who  can  assign 
a  reason  why  an  Irish  giant,  or  a  Polish  dwarf,  should  be  born 
amidst  nations  of  ordinary  stature,  will  have  solved  every  problem, 
as  to  the  existence,  either  of  gigantic  Patagonians,  or  of  pigmy  Es- 
quimaux. 

Vrom  an  impartial  revision  of  the  various  authorities,  it  appears, 
as  an  established  fact,  that  the  usual  stature  of  one  or  more  tribes 
of  Indians  in  Patagonia,  is  from  six  and  a  half  to  seven  and  a  half 
feet.'» 

When  the  Spaniards  conquered  and  destroyed  the  nations  and 
tribes  of  some  of  the  West  India  islands,  among  them  was  a  tribe 
whose  chief  was  a  man  of  great  stature.  Cotubamana  was  the 
name  of  this  cacique,  who  resided  with  his  nation  on  the  island  Hi- 
guey,  adjacent  to  Hispaniola. 

20 


154 


AMUniCAN   AKTIQUITfES 


» 


This  chieftian,  as  related  by  Las  Casas,  the  historian,  was  (ht 
strongpst  of  his  tribe,  and  more  perfectly  formed  than  one  man  of 
a  thousand,  of  any  nation  ^vhutever.  He  was  taller  than  the  tallest 
of  his  countrymen,  in  width  from  shoulder  to  shoulder  exceeding 
^11  men  measuring  full  three  feet,  with  the  rest  of  his  person  in  ad- 
mirable proportion.  His  aspect  was  not  handsome ;  yet  his  counte- 
nance Was  grave,  strongly  marked  with  the  characteristics  of  a  man 
of  coura4?e. 

His  bow  was  not  easily  bent  by  a  common  man ;  his  arrow  was 
three  prunged,  pointed  with  the  bones  of  fishes ;  all  his  weapons 
were  large  enough  for  a  giant ;  in  a  word  he  was  so  nobly  projwr- 
tioned  as  to  be  the  admiration  of  even  the  Spaniards. 

Already  the  murderous  Spaniards  had  been  more  than  conque- 
rors, in  several  battles  which  drove  the  poor  fugitives  to  their  caves, 
and  the  fastnesses  of  the  mounta'  ,  whither  they  had  followed 
their  chief.  A  daily  pursuit  was  con.  inued,  but  chiefly  to  capture 
the  as  yet  invincible  Cotubamana. 

While  searching  in  the  woods  and  hills  of  the  island,  at  a  cer- 
tain time,,  and  having  got  on  their  trail,  they  came  at  length  to  a 
place  where  the  path  which  they  had  followed,  suddenly  '  >d, 
and  divided  into  many,  the  whole  company  of  the  Spaniards,  ex- 
cept one  man,  chose  a  path,  which  they  pursued. 

This  one  exception,  was  a  man  named  Juan  Lopez,  a  powerful 
Spaniard,  and  skilful  in  the  mode  of  Indian  warfare.  He  chose 
to  proceed  alone,  in  a  blind  foot  path,  leading  off  to  the  left  of  the 
course  the  others  had  taken,  winding  among  little  hills,  so  thickly 
wooded  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  a  man  at  the  distance  of  half 
a  bow  shot- 
But  as  he  was  silently  darting  along  this  path,  he  encountered  all 
at  once,  in  a  narrow  pass,  overhung  by  rocks,  and  trees,  twelve  In- 
dian warriors,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  following  each  other  in 
Indian  file.  The  poor  natives  were  confouni<ed  at  the  sight  of  Lopez, 
imagining  there  must  be  a  party  of  soldiers  behind  him,  or  they 
would  doubtless  have  transfixed  him  with  their  arrows.  Lopez  de- 
manded of  them  where  their  chief  was ;  they  replied,  he  is  behind 
us,  and  opening  to  let  him  pass,  he  beheld  the  dauntless  Cotubama- 
na, in  the  rear.  At  sight  of  the  Spaniard,  the  gallant  cacique  bent 
his  gigantic  bow,  and  was  on  the  point  of  launching  one  of  his  three 


AND   OISCOVRRIES    IN    THE    VVIlST. 


156 


licadcd  arrows  into  liis  hoart ;  but  liopoz  at  the  inntant,  rushed  upon 
him,  and  wouudod  him  with  hiw  sword- 

The  other  Indians  struck  with  terror  had  tta].  Tlic  Spaniard 
and  Cotuljamana  now  grappled  with  each  other;  Lopez  had  seized 
the  chief  by  the  hair  of  his  liead,  with  one  hand,  and  was  aiming 
with  the  other,  a  thrust  with  his  sword,  at  his  naked  body,  but  the 
(;hief  struck  down  the  sword  with  his  arm,  and  closed  in  with  his 
antagonist,  and  threw  him  with  his  back  upon  the  rough  rocks. 

As  they  were  both  men  of  great  str'  ngtli,  the  struggle  was  long 
and  violent.  The  sword  lay  beneath  them,  but  Cotubaraana  seized 
with  his  great  liand,  the  Spaniard's  throat,  and  began  to  strangle  him, 
when  the  sound  of  the  contest  brought  the  other  Spaniards  to  the 
spot.  They  found  their  companion  writhing  and  ga.spi'iig  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  in  the  gripe  of  the  Indian.  The  whole  band  now 
fell  upon  him,  and  finally  succeeded  in  binding  hi?  noble  limbs, 
when  they  carried  him  to  St.  Domingo,  where  the  infernal  Span- 
iards hanged  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  murderer. — Irving^s  Life  oj 
Columbus,  3d  Vol.  page  159. 

Could  this  native  have  been  less  than  12  feet  in  heigh'  ^o  be  in 
proportion  with  the  breadth  of  his  back  between  his  .^boulders, 
which  was  full  three  feet,  as  Las  Casas  relates.  1 1  i .  ding  the  story 
of  the  miserable  death  of  this  hero  of  his  own  native  island,  Hi- 
guey,  we  are  reminded  of  the  no  less  tragical  end  of  Wallace,  the 
Scottish  chief,  who  was,  it  is  said,  a  man  of  great  size  nn^ 
strength,  and  was  also  executed  for  defending  his  country. 

Goliath  of  Gath  was  six  cubits  and  a  span  high,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  estimate  of  Bishop  Cumberland,  was  eleven  feet  and  ten 
inches  ;  Cotubaraana  and  Goliath  of  the  Philistines,  were,  it  ap- 
pears, much  of  the  same  stature,  terrible  to  look  upon,  and  irresisti- 
ble in  strength. 

There  are  those  who  imagine  th.  '  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  globe, 
or  the  antediluvians,  Avere  much  ;.  ;cr  than  our  race  at  the  pre- 
sent time,  and  although  it  is  impossible  to  prove  this  opinion,  yet 
the  subject  is  not  beyond  the  reach  of  argument,  in  its  support. 

The  circumstance  of  their  immense  longeivity,  favors  strongly 
this  opinion  ;  our  species,  as  they  are  now  constituted,  could  not 
possibly  endure  the  pressure  of  so  many  years  ;  the  heart,  with  all 
the  blood  vessels  of  the  body,  would  fail.  All  the  organs  of  the 
human  subject,  which  appertain  to  the  blood,  would  ossify,  and 


^ 


156 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


cease  their  action,  long  before  five,  six  and  nine  hundred  years 
should  transpire,  unless  differently,  or  more  abundantly  sustained, 
with  the  proper  support,  than  could  now  be  furnished  from  the  lit- 
tle bodies  of  the  present  times. 

Small  streams  sooner  feel  the  power  of  a  drought  than  a  river'or 
a  lake ;  great  trees  are  longer  sustained  beneath  the  rays  of  a  burn- 
ing sky,  without  rain,  than  a  mere  weed  or  shru^  ;  rnd  this  id  by 
reason  of  the  greater  quantum  of  the  juices  of  the  tree,  and  of  the 
greater  quantum  of  the  water  of  the  river  or  the  lake. 

Apply  this  reasoning  to  the  antediluvians  ;  and  we  arrive  At  the 
conclusion,  that  their  bodies  must  have  been  larger  than  oufs,  or 
the  necessary  juices  could  not  have  been  contained,  so  as  to  Aimish 
a  heart,  and  all  the  blood  vessels,  with  a  sufficient  ratio  of  strength 
and  vigor  to  support  life  so  many  ages  in  succession. 

Their  whole  conformation  must  have  been  of  a  larger,  looser,  and 
more  generous  texture,  as  the  flesh  and  skin  of  the  elephant,  which 
is  the  largest  as  well  as  the  longest  lived  animal  known  to  the  sci- 
ence of  zoology.  The  mammoth  was  undoubtedly  a  long  lived  an- 
imal. The  eagle,  the  largest  of  the  fowl  family,  liv«t  to  a  great 
age. 

That  the  antediluvians  were  of  great  stature,  is  strongly  support- 
ed by  a  remark  of  King  Solomon,  found  in  his  Book  of  Wisdom,  in 
the  Apocrypha,-  14th  chapter,  at  the  6th  verse,  where  he  calls  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  who  were  destroyed  by  the  deluge, 
^^ proud  giantSy'''  whose  history,  by  tradition,  handed  down  from  the 
family  of  Noah,  through  the  lineage  of  Shera,  was  well  known  to 
that  king,  the  wisest  of  men  in  his  day  and  age. 

And  even  after  the  flood,  the  great  stature  of  men  is  supported 
in  the  Scriptures  in  several  places,  who  were  for  some  genera- 
tions permitted  to  live  several  hundred  years,  and  were  all  accord- 
ingly of  great  stature.  Whole  tribes  or  nations  of  gigantic  inhabi- 
tants peopled  the  country  of  Canaan,  before  the  Jews  drove  them 
out.  *. 

Their  manners  and  customs  were  very  horrible,  whom  Solomon, 
the  king,  charges  with  being  guilty,  among  many  other  enormities, 
of  glutting  themselves  with  the  blood  and  flesh  of  human  beings  ; 
from  which  we  learn  they  were  cannibals.  See  Book  of  Wisdom, 
12th  -hap.  5th  verse — Apocrypha. 


fWrTfm 


'•rw 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


IW 


The  very  circumstances  of  the  human  race,  before  the  flood,  re- 
quired that  they  should  be  of  greater  strength  of  body  than  now, 
because  it  is  not  likely  so  many  useful  and  labor  saving  machines 
were  then  invented  and  in  use  as  now.  Every  thing  was  to  be 
effected  by  strength  of  muscle  and  bone,  which  of  course  would 
require  greater  bodies  to  produce  it. 

Were  we  to  indulge  in  fancy  on  this  subject,  we  should  judge 
them  no  pigmy  race,  either  in  person  or  in  temper  ;  but  terrible, 
broad,  and  tall  in  stature,  loose  and  flabby  in  their  fliesh  and  skin  ; 
coarse  and  hideous  in  their  features,  slow  and  strong  in  their  ges- 
tures, irascible  and  ferocious  in  their  spirits,  without  pity  or  refine- 
ment ;  given  wholly  to  war,  rapine  and  plunder  ;  formed  into 
bands;  clans,  und  small  bodies  of  marauders,  constantly  prowling 
round  each  other's  habitations,  outraging  all  the  charities  of  a  more 
Vefined  state  of  things,  measuring  all  things  by  mere  bodily 
strength. 

From  such  a  state  of  things  we  should  naturally  look  for  the  con- 
sequence mentioned  in  the  Bible  ;  which  is,  that  the  whole  earth 
was  filled  with  violence  before  the  flood,  and  extremely  wicked 
every  way,  so  as  to  justify  the  Divine  procedure  in  their  extermip 
nation.  "v 

Indications  now  and  then  appear,  in  several  parts  of  the  earth, 
as  mentioned  by  the  traveller,  of  the  existence  of  fowls,  of  a  size 
compared  with  the  mammoth  itself,  considering  the  difference  in 
the  elements  each  inhabit,  and  approach  each  other  in  size  as  near- 
ly as  the  largest  fowl  now  known,  does  the  largest  animal. 

Henderson,  in  his  travels  in  New  Siberia,  met  with  the  claws 
of  a  bird,  measuring  three  feet  in  length  ;  the  same  was  the 
length  of  the  toes  of  a  ma'^'moth,  as  measured  by  Adam  Clarke. 

The  Yakuts,  inhabitants  of  the  Siberian  country,  assured  Mr. 
Henderson,  that  they  had  f -(  -uentlj ,  in  their  hunting  excursions, 
found  the  skeleton,  and  even  the  feathers  of  this  fowl,  the  quills  of 
which  were  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's  arm  into  the  calibre, 
which  would  not  be  out  of  proportion  with  the  size  of  the  claws 
mentioned  above. 

Captain  Cook  mentions  having  seen,  during  his  voyages,  a  mon- 
strous bird's  nest  in  New  Holland,  on  a  low  sandy  island,  in  En- 
deavor River,  with  trees  upon  it,  where  were  an  incredible  num 
her  of  sea  fowls.    This  monstrous  nest  was  built  on  the  ground, 


■It^7- 


158 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


with  large  sticks,  and  was  no  lees  tlian  twenty-six  feet  in  circum- 
ference, more  than  eight  feet  across,  and  two  feet  eight  inches  high. 
This,  indeed,  must  have  been  of  the  species  celebrated  in  the  tra- 
dition of  the  ancients,  called  the  Phcenix. 

In  various  parts  of  Ireland,  are  frequently  dug  up  enormous 
horns,  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  a  species  of  deer,  now  extinct. 
Some  of  these  horns  have  been  found,  of  the  extent  of  fourteen 
feet  from  tip  to  tip,  furnished  with  brow  antlers,  and  weighing  three 
hundred  pounds.  The  whole  skeleton  is  frequently  found  witli 
them.  It  is  supposed  the  animal  must  have  been  about  twelve 
feet  high. — Morsels  Universal  Geog. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST,  AS 
GIVEN  BY  THE  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY  AT  CINCINNATI. 


Near  Newark,  in  the  county  of  Licking,  Ohio,  is  situated  one 
of  those  immense  works  or  fortifications.  Its  builders  chose,  with 
good  taste  and  judgement,  this  site  for  their  town,  being  exac,  iy  on 
the  point  of  land  at  the  junction  of  Rrtckoon  Creek  and  South  Fork, 
where  Licking  River  commences,  it  is  in  form  resembling  some- 
what a  horse  shoe,  accommodated,  however,  to  the  sweep  of  those 
two  streams ;  embracing,  in  the  whole,  a  circumference  of  about 
six  hundred  rods,  or  nearly  two  miles. 

A  wall  of  earth,  of  about  four  hundred  rods,  is  raised  on  the 
sides  of  this  fort  next  to  the  small  creek  which  comes  down  along 
its  sides  from  the  west  and  cast.  The  situation  is  beautiful,  as 
these  works  stand  on  a  largo  plain,  which  is  elevated  forly  or  fifty  ; 
f  f't  above  the  stream  just  noticed,  and  is  almost  perfectly  flat, 
and  as  rich  a  soil  as  can  be  found  in  that  country.  It  would  .seem 
the  people  who  made  this  settlement,  undertook  to  encompass,  with 
a  wall,  as  rmich  land  as  would  support  its  inhabitants,  and  also  suf- 
ficient to  build  their  dwellings  on,  with  several  fortifications,  ar- 
ranged in  a  proper  mjinner  for  its  defence. 


And  discoveries  in  the  west- 


ISO 


There  are,  withiu  its  ranges,  Jour  of  those  forts,  of  different  di- 
mensions ;  one  contains  forty  acres,  with  a  wall  of  about  ten  feet 
high  ;  another,  containing  twenty-two  acres,  also  walled,  but  in 
this  fort  is  an  elevated  observatory,  of  sufficient  height  to  overlook 
1  the  whole  country.     From  this  there  is  the  appearance  of  a  secret 

or  subterranean  passage  to  the  water,  as  one  of  the  creeks  runs 
near  this  fort. 

A  third  fort,  containing  about  twenty-six  acres,  having  a  wall 
around  it,  thrown  out  of  a  deep  ditch,  on  the  inner  side  of  the  wall. 
This  wall  is  now  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  height. 

A  fourth  fortification,  enclosing  twenty  acres,  with  a  wall  of  about 
ten  feet  high.  Two  of  these  forts  are  perfect  circles ;  one  a  per- 
fect square  ;  another  an  octagon  or  eight  sided.  These  forts  are 
severally  connected  by  roads  running  between  parallel  walls  ;  and 
als6  in  the  same  way  communicate  with  the  creeks  ;  so  that  these 
important  points,  in  case  of  invasion,  should  not  be  deprived  of  wa- 
ter. There  are,  besides  the  forts,  four  other  small  works  of  de- 
fence, of  a  circular  form,  situated  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect,  in 
a  measure,  the  roads  running  from  fort  to  fort. 

The  fort  which  is  of  the  eight  sided  form,  containing  the  great- 
est space  within,  has  eight  gateways,  with  a  mound  in  front  of  each 
of  them,  and  were  doubtless  placed  there  to  aid  in  a  defence  against 
invaders.  The  other  forts  have  no  gateways  connected  with  the 
roads  that  leapl  to  them,  except  one,  and  this  is  a  round  fort  united 
to  the  octangular  fort,  containing  twenty-two  acres ;  the  gateway  to 
this  looks  toward  the  wilderness  ;  at  this  gate  is  also  a  mound,  sup- 
posed to  be  for  its  defence. 

On  the  southern  side  of  this  great  town,  is  a  road  running  off  to 
the  country,  which  is  also  wailed  in  the  same  way ;  it  has  been 
surveyed  a  few  miles,  and  is  supposed  to  connect  other  similar 
works  on  the  Hokhoking,  thirty  miles  distance,  at  some  point  a  few 
miles  north  of  Lancaster,  as  walls  of  the  description  connected  with 
this  work,  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  extent,  have  been  discovered. 
It  is  supposed,  also,  that  the  walls  on  each  side  of  the  road  were 
made  for  the  double  purpose  of  answering  as  a  fence  to  their  fields, 
with  gateways  to  accommodate  their  farms,  and  for  security  in  time 
of  danger,  so  that  communion  betweeen  friendly  settlements  might 
not  be  interrupted,    About  the  walls  of  this  place  have  been  dis- 


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eovered  very  beautiful  rock  crystal  and  hom  stone,  suitable  ifor  ar- 
row and  spear  heads,  a  little  lead,  sulphur,  and  iron. 

This  kind  of  stone,  suitable  for  spears,  was,  undoubtedly,  valua- 
ble on  other  accounts,  as  axes,  knives,  mallets,  &c.,  were  made  of 
it.  It  is  likely  that,  as  very  little  iron  has  been  discovered,  even 
in  its  oxydized  state,  their  vast  works  of  excavation  were  carried  on 
by  means  of  wooden  shovels  and  scrapers,  which  would  answer 
very  well  in  the  easy  and  stoneless  soil  of  that  country. 

A  second  tort,  situated  southwesterly  from  the  great  works  (m 
the  Licking,  and  four  or  five  miles,  in  a  northwestern  direction, 
from  Somerset,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Perry  county,  is  found.  This 
work  encloses  about  forty  acres ;  its  wall  is  entirely  of  stone,  not 
regularly  laid  up  in  a  wall  agreeably  to  the  rules  of  masonry,  but 
•  huge  mass  of  stones  and  rocks  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  as  nature 
formed  them,  without  the  mark  of  an  iron  tool  upon  them.  These 
•re  in  sufficient  quantity  to  form  a  wall,  if  laid  in  good  orderj  of 
•bout  fourteen  feet  in  height,  and  three  in  thickness. 

Near  the  centre  of  the  area  of  this  enclosure,  is  a  stone  mound, 
of  a  circular  form,  fifteen  feet  high,  and  was  erected,  as  is  conjec- 
tured, for  an  altar,  on  which  were  performed  their  religious  rites, 
•nd  also  for  a  monument  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  some  great 
event  in  the  history  of  its  builders.  It  is  also  believed  that  the 
whole  of  this  vast  pr^aration  was  devoted  solely  to  the  purposes 
of  worship  of  some  kind  ;  as  it  is  situated  on  very  high  ground, 
whei'e  the  soil  is  good  for  nothing,  and  may  have  been,  what  is 
sailed,  an  high  place  in  Scripture,  according  to  the  customs  of  the 
•neient  pagans  of  the  old  world. 

It  could  not  have  been  a  military  work,  as  no  water  is  found 
theie,  nor  a  place  of  dwelling,  for  the  same  reason,  and  from  the 
poverty  of  the  soil ;  but  must  have  been  a  place  of  resort  on  great 
occasions,  such  es  n  solemn  assembly  to  propitiate  the  gods ;  and 
tliso  a  place  to  anoint  and  crown  their  kings,  elect  legislators,  trans- 
act national  affairs,  'judge  among  the  people,  and  inflict  condign 
punishment. 

Who  will  believe  for  a  moment,  that  the  common  Indian  of  the 
v/est,  who  were  derived  in  part  from  the  wandering  hordes  of  the 
Northern  Tartar  race  of  Asia,  were  the  authors  of  these  works ; 
bearing  the  marks  of  so  much  labor  and  scientific  calculation  in 


iueir  coosiructioD,  it  cannot  do. 


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W'      AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


161 


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(VI  t 


.-(^'i 


VAST  WORKS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  NATIONS  ON  THE  EAST  SIDE 
OF  THE  MUSKINGUM. 

This  fort,  town,  or  fortification,  or  whatever  it  may  have  heeu, 
is  between  three  and  four  hundred  rods,  or  rising  of  a  mile,  iii  cir- 
cumference, and  so  situated  as  to  be  nearly  surrounded  by  two 
small  brooks,  running  into  the  Muskingum.  Their  site  is  on  an 
elevated  plain,  above  the  present  bank  of  that  river,  about  a  half 
mile  from  its  junction  v.hh  the  Ohio. 

We  give  the  account  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Atwater,  president  of 
the  Antiquarian  Society.  "  They  consist  of  walls  and  mounds  oi 
earth,  in  direct  lines,  and  in  square  and  circular  forms.  The  largest 
iquare  fort,  by  some  called  the  town^  contains  forty  acres,  encom- 
passed by  a  wall  of  earth,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  and  from  twen- 
ty to  thirty  in  breadth  at  the  base- 

"  On  each  side  are  three  openings  at  equal  distances,  resembling 
twelve  gateways.  The  entrances  at  the  middle,  are  the  largest, 
particularly  on  the  side  next  to  the  Muskingum.  From  this .  Ulet 
is  a  covert  way  formed  of  two  parallel  walls  of  earth,  ttvo  hundred 
and  thirty-one  feet  distent  from  each  other,  measured  frc**  '*ntre 
to  centre.  The  walls  at  the  most  elcvater!  part,  ou  the  ii  ^  are 
twenty-one  feet  in  height,  and  forty-two  in  breadth,  at  the  base, 
but  on  the  outside  average  only  about  five  feet  in  height.  This 
forms  a  passage  of  about  twenty  rods  in  length,  leading  by  a  gradu- 
al descent  to  the  low  grounds,  wh^re,  at  the  time  of  its  construct 
tion,  it  probably  reached  the  river.  Its  walls  commence  at  sixty 
feet  from  the  ramparts  of  the  fort,  and  increase  in  elevation  as 
the  way  descends  to  the  river  ;  and  the  bottom  is  rounded  in  the 
centre,  in  the  manner  of  a  well  founded  turnpike       ' 

Within  the  walls  of  the  fort,  at  its  northwest  combi,  is  an,oblong 
ekvtUed  square,  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  broad,  and  nine-feet  high,  level  on  the  summit,  and  even 
now,  nearly  perpendicular  at  the  sides.  Near  the  south  wall  is  an 
elevated  square,  an  hundred  and  fifty  by  an  hundred  and  twenty, 
^nd  eight  feet  high,  similar  to  the  other,  excepting  that  instead  of 


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AMF.RICAN   ANTIQUITIES    ?^: 


an  ascent  to  go  up  on  tlie  slfle  next  the  wall,  there  is  a  hollow  way^ 
ten  feet  wide,  leading  twenty  feet  towards  the  centre,  and  then  ris- 
ing with  a  gradual  slope  to  the  top.  This  was,  it  is  likely,  a  secret 
passage.  At  the  southeast  coiner  is  a  third  elevated  square,  of  an 
hanc'  li  "  ^ty  by  fifty-four  feet,  with  ascents  at  the  ends,  ten 
f'ei  vi'ids,  bu'  not  so  high  nor  perfect  as  the  two  others. 

Besides  this  forty  acre  fort,  which  is  situated  within  the  great 
laoge  of  the  surrounding  wall,  there  is  auother,  containing  tw  enty 
acres,  with  a  gateway  in  the  centre  of  each  side,  and  at  each  cor- 
ner these  gateways  are  defended  by  circular  mounds. 

On  the  outside  o*"  _  ^^..a^'t  fort  is  a  mound,  iu  form  of  a  sugar 
loaf ;  its  base  is  a  regular  circle,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  in 
diameter,  or  twenty-one  rods  in  circumference  ;  its  altitude  is  thirty 
het.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch  four  feet  deep,  fifteen  feet  wide, 
•nd  defended  by  a  parapet  four  feet  high,  through  which  is  a  gate- 
way towards  the  foot,  twenty  feet  in  width.  Near  one  of  the  cor- 
ners of  the  great  fort,  was  found  a  reservoir  or  v/ell,  twenty-five 
feet  in  diameter,  hud  seventy-five  in  circumference,  with  its  sides 
raised  above  the  common  level  of  the  adjoining  surface,  by  an  em- 
bankment of  earth,  three  and  four  feet  high." 

It  was,  undoubtedly,  at  first  very  deep,  as,  sir  e  its  discoverv  by 
the  first  settlers,  they  have  frequently  thrust  poles  into  it  to  th( 
depth  of  thirty  feet.     It  appears  to  run  to  a  point,  like  an  inverteu 
cone  or  funnel,  and  was  undoubtedly  that  kind  of  well  used  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  old  world,  which  were  so  large  at  their  top  as  to 
aflford  an  easy  descent  down  to  the  fountain,  and  up  again  with  its 
water  in  a  vessel  borne  on  the  shoulder,  according  to  the  ancient 
custom.     See  Genesi-  18th  chapter,  24th  verse  :  "  And  she,  (that 
is  iC  .*ieca,  .l:e  daugl     r  of  Bethuel,)  went  down  to  tlie  well,  filled 
her  pitcher  and  came  up."     Bethuel  was  an  Assyrian,  who,   it 
seems,  bn*^  made  a  well  in  the  same  form  with  that  described  above. 
Its  siues  were  lined  v.  U'it  a  stratuiu  of  fine  ash  coloured  clay,  eight 
and  ten  inches  thick,  beyond  which  is  the  '^..mmo/.  soil  of  the  place. 
It  is  conjectured  that     '  the  bottom  of  this  v.  jll  might  be  found 
many  curious  »■■     >8  which  belonged  to  the  ancient  inhabitants. 

On  both  side  th'  e  walls  are  found  fragments  of  pottery,  cu- 
riously omamenl'wd,  ma  le  of  shells  and  clay,  fine  gravel  and  clay, 
burnt  in  the  fire,  and  capable  of  holding  liquids.    When  broken  it 


AND   DISC0TERIC8   IN  THE   WEST- 


163 


7' 

is- 

ret 

&n 

ten 


appears  quite  bl  with  brilliant  particles  appearing  as  it  it  h«l4 
to  the  light. 

"  Several  pieces  of  oopp<>r  have  been  found  in  and  near  thes«  an- 
cient works,  at  various  places  ;  and  one  was  in  the  form  of  a  cup, 
with  low  sides,  the  bottom  very  thick  and  stron^^,  showing  their  en- 
larged acquaintance  with  thut  metal,  more  than  the  Indians  ever 
had. 


•V*>i 


^ 


'  .^f^^j- 


f  • 


RUINS  OF  ANCIENT  WORKS  AT  CIRCLEVILLE. 


.  At  Circleville,  in  Ohio,  are  the  remains  of  very  great  works  of 
this  description,  evidently  of  a  military  character,  two  of  which  are 
united  ;  one  is  exactly  square,  the  other  an  exact  circle.  The 
square  fort  is  fifty  rods  on  each  side,  the  round  one  is  nearly  three 
hundred  feet,  or  eighteen  rods  in  circumference  ;  the  circle  and 
square  touching  each  other,  and  communicate  at  the  very  spot 
where  thev  are  united.  '<a^' r  m 

The  circular  fort  is  surrounded  by  two  walls,  with  a  deep  ditch 
between  them  ;  the  square  fort  is  also  encompassed  by  a  wall, 
without  a  ditch.  The  walls  of  the  circular  fort  were  at  least  twen- 
ty feet  in  height,  measuring  from  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  before 
the  town  of  circleville  was  built.  The  inner  wall  is  formed  of 
clay,  brought  from,  a  distance,  but  the  outside  one  was  formed  widi 
the  earth  of  the  ditch,  as  it  was  thrown  out. 

There  were  eight  gateways,  or  openings,  leading  into  the  square, 
fort,  and  only  one  into  the  circular.  Before  each  of  these  openings 
was  a  mound  of  earth,  about  four  feet  high,  forty  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  base,  and  twenty  feet  and  r.pwards  at  the  top,  situated 
about  two  rods  in  front  of  the  gates  ;  for  the  defence,  no  doubt,  of 
these  openings.  The  walls  of  this  work  vary  a  few  degrees  from 
north  and  south,  and  east  and  west,  but  no  more  than  the  needle 
varies  ;  and  not  a  few  surveyors  have,  from  this  circumstance, 
bfc'  11  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  authors  of  these  worka 
were  acquainted  with  astronomy,  and  the  four  cardinal  points. 

Within  the  great  square  fort  are  eight  small  mounds,  placed  op- 


•  * 


164 


AMERICAN   ANTiqUITIEg 


poiite  the  gateways,  for  their  defence,  or  to  i*^-  opportunity  to  pri- 
vileged spectators  to  review  the  thousands  pi«:.!ng  out  to  war,  or 
coining  in  with  the  trophies  of  victory.  Such  was  the  custom  of  an- 
cient times.  David,  the  most  potent  king  of  the  Jews,  stood  at  the 
gateway  ni  the  city,  as  his  armies  went  to  quell  the  insurrection  of 
his  son  Absalom.  See  Sd  Samuel,  18th  chapter,  4th  verse :  "  And 
the  king  stood  by  the  gate  side,  and  all  the  people  came  out  by 
hundreds  and  by  thousands."  It  cannot  be  supposed  the  king  stood 
on  the  ground,  on  a  common  level  with  his  armies.  Such  a  situa- 
tion would  be  extremely  inconvenient,  and  defeat,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, the  opportunity  of  review.  How  impressive,  when  soldiers, 
fired  with  all  the  ardor  of  expected  victory,  to  behold  their  gene- 
ral, chief,  king,  or  emperor,  bending  over  th^n,  as  they  pass  on, 
from  some  commanding  position  near  at  hand,  giving  counsel  to 
their  captains  ;  drawing,  in  this  way,  large  .draughts  on  the  indi- 
vidual confidence  and  love  of  the^soldiery.  Such  may  have  been 
the  spectacle  at  the  gateways  of  the  forts  of  the  west,  at  the  eras  of 
their  grandeur.  i 

In  musing  on  the  structure  of  these  vast  works  found  along  the 
western  rivers,  enclosing  such  iAimense  spaces  of  land,  the  mind  ia 
irresistibly  directed  to  a  contemplation  of  ancient  Babylon,  the 
first  city  of  mt^uitude  built  immediately  after  the  flood.  That 
city  was  of  a  sqviare  form,  being  fifteen  railes  distance  on  each  of 
its  sides,  and  sixty  in  circumference,  surrounded  with  a  wall  eighty- 
seven  feet  in  thickness,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  height—* 
On  each  side  it  had  twenty-five  gateways,  amounting  in  all  to  an 
hundred  ;  the  whole,  besides  the  wall,  surrounded  with  a  deep  and 
wide  ditch.  At  each  corner  of  this  immense  square,  was  a  strong 
tower,  ten  feet  higher  than  the  walls.  There  were  fifty  broad 
streets,  each  fifteen  miles  long,  starting  from  each  of  its  gates,  and 
an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  broad,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles ; 
besides  four  half  streets,  surrounding  the  whole,  two  hundred  ktt 
broad.  The  whole  city  was  divided  into  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  squares,  four  and  a  half  furlongs  on  each  side.  In  the  centre  of 
the  city  stood  the  temple  of  Belus,  and  in  the  centre  of  this  temple 
stood  an  immense  tower,  six  hundred  feet  square  at  its  base,  and 
six  hundred  feet  high,  narrowing  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid  as  it  as- 
cended. The  ascent  to  the  summit  was  accomplished  by  spiral 
stairs,  winding  eight  times  round  the  \i^ole.     This  tower  consisted 


^f 


AND    DISCOYERIBS   IN  THE   WEST. 


10ft 


of  eight  distiDct  parts,  each  on  the  top  of  the  other,  seventy-five 
feet  high,  till  the  whole,  in  aggregate,  finished  the  tower. 

In  the  different  stories  were  temples,  or  chapels,  for  the  w^orship 
of  the  sun ;  and  on  its  top  ,8ome  authors  say,  was  an  image  of  gold> 
forty  feet  in  height,  equal  in  value  to  three  millions  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars. — Blake^i  Atlat. 

The  moddle  of  this  city,  with  its  towers  at  the  comers,  and  pyra- 
mid in  its  centre,  having  been  made  at  so  early  a  period  of  time, 
being  not  far  from  an  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  was  doubtlesi 
of  sufficient  influence  to  impress  its  image  on  the  memory  of  tradi- 
tion, so  that  the  nations  spreading  out  from  that  region  over  all  the 
•arth,  may  have  copied  this  Chaldean  model  in  their  various  works. 

This  thought  is  strengthened  when  we  compare  its  counterpart, 
the  vast  works  of  the  west,  with  this  Babylonian  prototype  of  archi- 
tectural effort,  and  imagine  we  see  in  the  latter,  the  features  and 
general  outlines  of  this  giant,  among  cities,  in  the  towers,  walls, 
and  pyramids  of  the  western  states. 

Near  the  round  fort  at  Circleville,  is  another  fort,  ninety  feet 
high,  and  was  doubtless  erected  to  overlook  the  whole  works  of 
that  enormous  military  establishment.  That  it  was  a  military  et> 
tablishment  is  the  decided  opinion  of  the  President  of  the  Western 
Antiquarian  Society,  Mr.  Atwater.  He  says  the  round  fort  was 
picketed  in,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  appearance  of  the  ground, 
on  and  about  the  walls.  Halfway  up  the  outside  of  the  inner  wall, 
is  a  place  distinctly  to  be  seen,  where  a  row  of  pickets  once  stood, 
and  where  it  was  placed  when  this  work  of  defence  was  originally 
erected.  Finally,  this  work  about  its  walls  and  ditch,  a  few  years 
since,  presented  as  much  of  a  defensive  aspect,  as  forts  which  wera 
occupied  in  our  war  with  th'^  French,  such  as  Oswego,  Fort  Stan- 
wix,  and  others. 

These  works  have  been  examined  by  the  first  military  men  now 
living  in  the  United  States,  and  they  have  uniformly  declared  their 
opinion  to  be,  that  they  were  military  works  of  defence.  '    * 

.  .  < 
•1  ,  .     ■  ■     ■      :ir,  - 


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^',  ^I'^V^'^vf  y 


166 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


ANCIENT  WORKS  ON  PAINT  CREEK. 


il- 


On  Paint  Creek,  in  Ohio,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Chilicothe, 
9te  works  of  art,  still  more  wonderful  than  any  yet  described. 
There  are  six  in  number,  aud  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  each 
other.  In  one  of  those  granH  enclosures  are  contained  three  forts, 
one  embraces  seventeen,  another  twenty-seven,  |a  third  seventy-se- 
ven, amounting  in  all  to  an  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land. 

One  of  those  forts  i  ')und,  another  square,  and  a  third  is  of  an 
irregular  form,  approaching  however,  nearer  to  the  circular  than  any 
other,  and  the  wall  which  embraces  the  whole,  is  so  contrived  in 
its  courseu,  as  to  favor  those  several  forms  ;  the  whole  being,  evi- 
dently, one  work,  separated  into  three  compartments. 

There  are  fourteen  gateways,  going  out  of  the  whole  work,  be- 
sides thn^e  which  unite  the  several  forts,  one  with  the  other,  in- 
wardly ;  all  these,  especially  those  leading  outwardly,  are  very  wide 
being,  ?.s  they  now  appear,  from  one  to  six  rods.  At  three  of  those 
gateways,  on  the  outside  of  the  wall,  are  as  many  ancient  wells  j 
and  one  on  the  inside,  where  doubtless,  the  inhabitants  procured 
water.  Their  width  at  the  top  is  from  four  to  six  rods,  but  their 
depth  unknown,  as  they  are  now  nearly  filled  up.  Within  the 
greatest  enclosure,  containing  the  seventy-seven  acres,  is  an  elip- 
tical  elevation  of  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and  so  large,  that  its 
area  is  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  rods  in  circumference,  com- 
posed almost  entirely  of  stone  in  their  rough  and  natural  state, 
brought  from  a  hill  adjacent  to  the  place. 

This  elevated  work  is  full  of  human  bones,  and  some  have  not 
hesitated  to  express  a  belief,  that  on  this  work,  human  beings  were 
once  sacrificed.  The  surface  is  snoolii  and  level,  favoring  the  idea 
of  the  horrid  parade,  such  occasions  would  produce  ;  yet  they  may 
have  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  mere  military  manceuvreing, 
which  would  produce  a  spectacle  very  imposing,  composed  of  thou- 
sandsi,  harnessed  in  their  war  attire,  with  nodding  plumes. 

About  a  mile  from  this  fort,  there  is  a  work  in  the  form  of  a  halt 
moon,  set  round  the  edges  with  st.es  ;  near  this  semicircle  is  : 
very  singular  mound  of  only  five  feet  in  height,  but  ninety  feet  i' 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


167 


an 


circumference,  composed  entirely  of  red  ochre ;  which  answers  well 
as  a  paint.  An  abundance  of  this  ochre  is  found  on  a  hill,  not  a 
great  distance  from  this  place ;  from  which  circumstance,  the  stream 
which  runs  along  here  is  called  Paint  Creek. 

So  vast  a  heap  of  this  paint  being  deposited,  is  pretty  clear  evi- 
dence that  it  was  an  article  of  commerce  among  these  nations. 
Here  may  have  been  a  store  house,  or  a  range  of  them,  attended  by 
salesman,  or  merchants  ;  who  took  in  exchange  for  it,  copper,  fea- 
thers, bow  and  arrow  timber,  stone  for  hatchets,  spears,  and  knives, 
wooden  ploughs  and  shovels ;  with  skins  and  furs,  for  clothing ; 
stones  for  building  their  rude  altars  and  works ;  with  food  to  sus- 
tain the  populace,  as  is  the  manner  of  cities  of  the  present  time. 
Red  paint  in  particular,  is  used  now  among  the  Hindoos,  which 
they  mark  themselves  with,  as  well  as  their  gods.  This  vast  col- 
lection of  red  paint,  by  the  ancient  nations,  on  Paint  Creek,  favors 
the  opinion  that  it  was  put  to  the  same  use,  by  the  same  people. 

Near  this  work  is  another,  on  the  same  creek,  enclosing  eighty- 
four  acres,  part  of  which  is  a  square  f  jrt,  with  seven  gateways ; 
and  the  other  a  fort,  of  an  irregular  oval,  with  seven  gateways,  sur- 
rounded with  a  wall  like  the  others.  But  the  most  interesting  work 
of  the  three  contiguous  forts,  is  yet  to  be  described.  It  is  situated 
on  a  high  hill,  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet  elevation,  and  in 
many  places  almost  perpendicular.  The  wall  running  round  this 
work,  is  built  exactly  on  the  brow  of  the  precipice,  and  in  its  cours- 
es, is  accommodated  to  the  variations  of  this  natural  battlement,  en- 
closing, in  the  whole,  an  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  On  its  south 
end  the  ground  is  level,  where  the  entrance  to  the  fort  is  easy.  At 
the  north  end,  which  approaches  pretty  near  to  Paint  Creek,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  gateway  descending  to  the  water,  the  ground 
favoring  it  at  this  point,  as  well  as  at  one  other,  leading  to  a  little 
stream,  which  runs  along  its  base,  on  the  east  side  of  this  eminence, 
where  is  also  another  gateway ;  these  three  places  are  the  only 
points  which  are  at  all  accessible.  The  wall  round  the  whole  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  is  entirely  of  stone,  and  is  in  sufficient 
quantity,  if  laid  up  in  good  order,  to  make  it  ten  feet  high,  and  four 
thick.  At  the  north  gateway,  stones  enough  now  lie,  to  have  built 
two  considerable  round  towers,  taken  from  the  hill  itself,  and  are  of 
the  red  sand  stone  kind. 


r 


168 


▲MERldAK  ANTIQUITIES 


Near  the  south  fend  of  this  enclosure,  at  the  place  where  it  is  ea- 
siest of  access,  "  appear  to  hare  been  a  row  of  furnaces,  (says  Mr. 
Atwater)  or  smith's  shops,  where  the  cinders  now  lie,  many  feet 
deep ;  I  am  not  able  to  say  with  certainty,  what  manufactures  were 
carried  on  here,  whether  brick  or  iron,  or  both."  It  was  a  clay, 
that  had  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  fire ;  the  remains  of  which 
•re  four  and  five  feet  in  depth ;  which  shows  in  a  good  degree,  the 
amount  of  business  done  was  great.  "  Iron  ore,  in  this  country,  is 
sometimes  found  in  such  clay ;  brick  and  potter's  ware  are  now 
manufactured  out  of  it.  This  fort  is,  from  its  natural  site,  one  of 
the  strongest  positions  of  the  kind  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  so  high  is 
its  elevation,  and  so  nearly  perpendicular  are  the  sidus^  of  ihe  hill 
on  which  it  was  built."  At  the  several  angles  of  the  wall,  and  at 
the  gateways,  the  abundance  of  stone  lying  there,  leads  to  the  be- 
lief, that  those  points,  towers  and  battlements  once  overlooked  the 
country  to  an  immense  distance  ;  from  whence  stones  and  arrows 
might  have  been  launched  away,  from  engines  adapted  to  that  pur- 
pose, among  the  approaching  enemy,  with  dreadful  effect ;  "  No 
military  man  could  have  selected  a  better  position  for  a  p^ace  of 
protection  to  his  countrymen,  their  temples  and  their  f'ods,"  than 
this 


ANCIENT  WELLS  FOUND  IN  THE  BOTTOM  OF  PAINT  CREEK. 

In  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek,  which  washes  the  foot  of  the  hill,  ou 
which  the  walled  town  stood,  have  been  discovered  four  wells. 
They  were  dug  through  a  pyritous  slate  rock,  which  is  very  rich  in 
iron  ore.  When  first  discovered,  by  a  person  passing  over  them 
in  a  canoe  ;  they  were  covered,  each  by  stones  of  about  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  common  mill  stone.  These  covers  had  holes 
through  their  centre,  through  which  a  large  pry,  or  hand  spike 
might  be  put  for  the  pupose  of  removing  them  off  and  on  the  wells. 
The  hole  through  the  centre  of  each  stone,  was  about  four  inches 
in  diameter.  The  wells  at  their  tops  were  more  than  nine  feet  in 
circumference ;  the  stones  were  well  wrought  with  tools,  so  as  to 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


169 


make  good  joints ;  as  a  stone  mason  would  say,  which  were  laid 
around  them  severally,  as  a  pavement.  At  the  time  they  were  dug 
it  is  not  likely.  Paint  Creek  run  over  these  wells.  For  what  they 
were  sunk,  is  a  mystery ;  as  that  for  the  purposes  of  watc,  so  ma- 
ny so  near  each  other,  would  scarcely  appear  necessary  ;  perhaps 
for  some  kind  of  ore  or  favorite  stone,  was  the  original  object. 

There  is,  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  one  of  those  works,  which  is  vety 
extensive  and  wonderful,  on  account  of  walled  roads,  a  '  high  place,' 
with  many  intricate  operations  in  its  construction. 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  little  Miami,  about  thirty  miles  east 
from  Cincinnati,  are  vast  works  of  this  character;  having  the  form 
almost  exactly  of  the  continent  of  North  and  South  America,  as 
presented  on  the  map,  on  which  account  some  have  supposed  they 
were  made  in  imitation  of  it. 


A  RECENT  DISCOVERY  OF  ONE  OF  THOSE  ANCIENT  WORKS 
AMONG  THE  ALLEGHANIES. 

r 

New  discoveries  are  constantly  making  of  these  ancient  works, 
the  farther  we  go  ./est,  and  the  more  minutely  the  research  is  pro- 
secuted, even  in  parts  already  settled. 

During  the  last  year,  1832,  a  Mr.  Ferguson  communicated  to 
the  editor  of  the  Christi:.n  Advocate  and  Journal,  a  discovery  of 
the  kind,  which  he  examined,  and  describes  as  follows  : 

"  On  a  mountain  culled  ihe  Lookout  mountain,  belonging  to  the 
vast  Alleghanian  chain,  running  between  th»  Tennessee  and  Coos 
rivers,  rising  abotu  one  thousand  feet  above  the  level  o(  the  sur- 
rounding valley.  The  top  of  the  mountain  is  mostly  level,  but  pre- 
sents to  the  eye  an  almost  barren  waste.  On  this  range,  notwith- 
standing its  height,  a  river  has  its  source,  and  after  traversing  it  for 
about  seventy  miles,  plunges  over  a  precipice.  The  rock  from 
which  the  water  falls,  is  circular,  and  juts  over  considerably.  Im- 
mediately below  the  fall,  on  each  side  of  the  river,  are  bluffs,  which 
rise  about  two  hurdred  feet.  Around  one  of  these  bluffs,  the  river 
makes  a  bend,  which  gives  it  the  form  of  a  peninsula.  On  the  to|i 
of  this  are  the  remains,  of  what  is  esieemed  fortifications  j  which 


"%. 


■^Sk 


no 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIE* 


connst  of  a  stone  wall,  built  on  the  very  brow  of  this  tremendoos 
ledge.  The  whole  length  of  the  wall,  following  the  varying  cour- 
ses of  the  brink  of  this  precipice,  is  thirty-seven  rods  and  eight 

feet,  including  about  two  acres  of  ground."         v.  >>«««,  >  .;i. 

The  only  descent  from  this  place  is  between  two  rocks,  for  about 
thirty  feet,  when  a  bench  of  the  ledge  presents  itself,  from  two  to 
five  feet  in  width,  and  ninety  feet  long.  This  bench  is  the  only 
road  or  path,  up  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  summit.  But  just  at 
the  foot  of  the  two  rocks,  where  they  reach  this  path,  and  within 
thirty  feet  of  the  top  of  the  rock,  are  five  rooms,  which  have  been 
formed  by  dint  of  labor.  The  entrance  to  these  rooms  is  very 
small,  but  when  within,  they  are  found  to  communicate  with  each 
other,  by  doors  or  apertures.  Mr.  Ferguson  thinks  them  to  have 
been  constructed  during  some  dreadful  war,  and  those  who  con« 
structed  them,  to  have  acted  on  the  defensive  ;  and  believes  that 
twenty  men  could  have  withstood  the  whole  army  of  Xerxes,  as  it 
was  impossible  for  more  than  one  to  pass  at  a  time  ;  and  might  by 
the  slightest  push,  be  hurled  at  least  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
down  the  rocks.  The  reader  can  indulge  his  own  conjectures, 
whether,  in  the  construction  of  this  inaccessible  fortress,  be  does 
mot  perceive  the  remnant  of  a  tribe  or  nation,  acquainted  with  the 
arts  of  excavation  and  defence  ;  making  a  last  struggle  against  the 
invapion  of  an  overwhelming  foe  ;  where,  it  is  likely,  they  were 
reduced  by  famine,  and  perished  amid  the  yells  of  their  enemies. 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  WESTERN  TUMULI  OR  MOUNDS. 


Wb  now  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  ancient  tumuli  of  the 
west,  and  of  discoveries  made  on  opening  many  of  them ;  quoted 
from  the  Researches  of  the  Antiquarian  Society. 

Ancient  Thimuli  are  considered  a  kii\d  of  antiquities,  differing  in 
character  from  that  of  the  other  workd  ;  both  on  account  of  what 
is  frequently  discovered  in  them,  and  the  manner  of  their  construc- 
tion. They  are  conical  mounds,  either  of  earth  or  stones,  \yhicb 
were  intended  for  sacred  and  important  purposes.    In  many  parts 


AND   DISCOTEKIEfl  IK   THB   WEST. 


171 


■of  the  world,  similar  mounds  were  used  as  monuments,  sepulchres, 
altars,  and  temples.  The  accounts  of  these  works,  found  in  the 
Scriptures,  show  that  their  origin  must  be  sought  for  among  the 
Antediluvians.  •     .    -  •  yf  ;}*i! 

That  they  are  very  ancient,  and  were  used  as  places  of  sepulturCi 
public  resort,  and  public  worship,  is  proved  by  all  the  writers  of 
ancient  times,  both  sacred  and  profane.  Homer  fre^^uently  men- 
iions  them,  particularly  describing  the  tumulus  of  Tydcus,  and 
the  spot  where  it  was.  In  memory  of  the  illustrious  dead,  a  se- 
pulchral mound  of  earth  was  raided  over  their  remains ;  which, 
from  that  time  forward,  became  an  altar,  whereon  to  offer  sacrifices, 
and  around  which  to  exhibit  games  of  athletic  exercise.  These  of- 
ferings and  games  were  intended  to  propitiate  their  manes,  to  hon- 
or and  perpetuate  their  memories.  Prudentius,  a  Roman  bard  has 
told  us  that  there  were  in  ancient  Rome,  just  as  many  temples  of 
gods,  as  there  were  sepulchres  of  heroes;  implying  that  they  were 
the  same.  Need  I  mention  the  tomb  of  Anchies,  which  Virgil 
has  described,  with  the  offerings  there  presented,  and  the  games 
there  exhibited  f  The  sanctity  of  Acropolis,  where  Cecrops  was 
inhumbed  ?  The  tomb  of  the  father  of  Adouis,  at  Pajihos,  whereon 
a  temple  dedicated  to  Venus,  was  erected  .''  The  grave  of  Cleoma- 
chus,  whereon  stoo;i  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  v/orship  of  Apollo? 
Finally,  I  would  ask  the  classical  reader,  if  the  words  translated 
tomb,  and  iimple,  are  not  used  as  synonymous,  by  the  poets  of  Greece 
and  Rome  ?  Virgil,  wlio  wrote  in  the  days  of  Augustus  Csesar, 
speaks  of  these  tumuli,  as  being  as  ancient  as  they  were  sacred, 
even  in  his  time. 

In  later  limes,  after  warriors  arose,  and  performed  great  and 
mighty  deeds,  the  whole  tribe,  or  nation,  joined,  to  raise  on  some 
'  high  place,'  generally,  a  lofty  tumulus,  for  commemorative  and 
sacred  purposes.  At  first,  sacrifices  might  have  been,  and  probably 
were,  olllred  on  these  tumuli,  to  the  true  God,  as  the  Great  Au- 
thor and  Giver  of  life  ;  but  in  later  timesj  they  forgot  Him,  and 
worshipped  the  maup.s  of  heroes  they  had  buried  there. 

The  ooiiical  mouu.ls  in  Ohio,   are  either  of  stones  or  of  earf'a. 
The  former,  in  other  countries,  and  in  former  ages,  were  intended 
as  monuments,  for  the  the  purpose  of  perpetuating  the  memory  of 
some  important  event,  or  as  altars,  whereon  to  offer  sacrifices.     The 
fatter  were  used  as  cemeteries  and  as  altars,  whereon  in  later 


172 


AMERICAN   A«fTIQUITIES 


I* 


^ 


times,  temples  were  erected,  as  among  the  people  of  Greece  and 
Rome. 

The  tumuli,  "  are  of  various  altitudes  and  dimensions,  some  be- 
ing only  four  or  five  feet,  and  but  ten  or  twelve  in  diameter,  at  their 
base,  while  others,  as  we  travel  to  the  south,  rise  to  the  height  of 
eighty,  ninety,  and  some  more  than  an  hundred  feet,  and  cover 
many  acres  of  ground.  They  are,  generally,  when  completed,  in 
the  form  of  a  cone.  Those  in  the  north  part  of  O'lio,  are  of  infe- 
rior size,  and  fewer  in  number,  than  those  along  the  river.  These 
mounds  are  believed  to  exist,  from  the  Rocky  mountains  in  the 
west,  to  the  Alleghanies  in  the  east ;  from  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Mexican  Gulf ;  and  though  few  and  small  in  the 
north,  are  numerous  and  lofty  in  the  south,  yet  exhibit  proof  of  a 
common  origin. 

On  Jonathan  creek,  in  Morgan  county,  are  found  some  mounds, 
whose  basis  are  formed  of  well  burnt  bricks  between  four  and  five 
inches  square.  There  are  found  lying  on  the  bricks,  charcoal  cin- 
dt^rs,  and  pieces  of  calcined  human  bones.  Above  them  the  mounds 
were  composed  of  earth,  showing  that  the  dead  had  been  buried 
in  the  mannt^  of  several  of  the  eastern  nations,  and  the  mounds 
raised  afterwards  to  mark  the  place  of  their  burial. 

One  of  them  is  about  twenty-four  feet  in  circumference,  and  the 
stones  yet  look  black,  as  if  stained  with  fire  and  smoke.  This  cir- 
cle of  stones  seems  to  have  been  the  nucleus  on  which  the  mound 
was  formed,  as  immediately  over  them  is  heaped  the  common  earth 
of  the  adjacent  plain.  This  mound  was  originally  about  ten  feet 
high,  and  ninety  feet  in  circumference  at  its  base  ;  and  has  eveiy 
appearance  of  being  as  old  as  any  in  the  neighborhood,  and  was, 
at  the  first  settlement  of  Marietta,  covered  with  large  trees. 

A  particular  account  of  many  curious  articles,  which  go  to  show 
the  person  buried  there,  was  a  member  of  civilized  society,  is  given 
farther  on  in  this  work,  under  the  head  of  "  a  description  of  im- 
plements found  in  the  tumuli." 

The  person  buried  here  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  nothing  dif- 
fering from  other  men  in  the  form  of  his  bones,  except  the  skull, 
which  was  Uiicomroonly  thick.  The  timber  growing  on  this  mound, 
when  jt  was  cleared  off,  was  ascertained  to  be  nearly  five  hundred 
years  old,  from  counting  th^  concentric  circles  or  grains  of  the 


H 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST*. 


178 


wood  on  the  stumps.  On  the  ground  beside  them  were  other  trees 
in  a  state  of  decay,  that  had  fallen  from  old  age," 

If  we  were  to  conjecture,  from  this  sort  of  data,  how  great  a  lapse 
of  years  has  ensued  since  the  abandonment  of  this  mound,  we 
should  pursue  the  following  method.  From  the  time  when  the 
country  became  desolate  of  its  inhabitants,  till  trees  and  forests 
would  begin  to  grow,  cannot  well  be  reckoned  less  than  five  years. 
If  then  they  are  permitted  to  grow  five  hundred  years,  till  as  large 
and  as  old  as  some  of  the  trees  were  on  the  mound  when  it  was 
cleared  by  the  people  of  Marietta,  from  that  time  till  their  natural 
decay  and  fall  to  the  earth,  and  reduction  to  decayed  wood,  as  was 
found  on  the  mound,  could  not  be  less  than  three  hundred  years,  in 
decaying  so  as  to  fall,  and  then  fifty  years  to  rot  in ;  this  would 
give  eight  hundred  and  fifty-five  years  for  the  first  growth  of  tim- 
ber. From  this  time  we  reckon  a  second  crop,  which  we  will  sup- 
pose was  the  one  growing  when  the  mound  was  cleared  of  its  tim- 
ber ;  which  was,  according  to  Mr.  Atwater's  statement,  "  between 
four  and  five  hundred  years  ;"  add  this  to  the  age  of  the  first  crop, 
say  four  hundred  and  fifty,  and  we  have,  in  the  whole,  one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  five  years,  since  it  was  deserted  of  its 
builders.  Dr.  Cutler  supposes  at  least  a  thousand  years.  Then  it 
will  follow,  taking  out  the  time  since  Marietta  was  settled,  and  the 
mound  cleared  of  its  timber,  that  the  country  was  deserted  a« 
bout  five  hundred  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  Christian 
era. 

About  the  same  time,  say  from  the  year  410  to  500  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  the  greater  part  of  Europe  was  devastated  by  the  Goths, 
the  Huns,  the  Heruli,  the  Vandals,  the  Swevri,  the  'Alians,  and 
other  savage  tribes,  all  fiom  the  northern  wilds  of  ancient  Russia 
By  these  the  western  eOTf)ire  of  the  Romans,  comprehending  Italy, 
Germany,  France,  Spain,  and  England,  was  subverted  ;  all  litera- 
ture  was  obliterated,  and  the  works  of  the  learned,  which  contained 
the  discoveries  and  improvements  of  ages,  were  annihilated. 

And  from  all  we  can  make  out  by  observing  the  growth  of  tim- 
ber, with  that  which  is  decayed,  as  found  on  the  deserted  works 
of  the  west,  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  that  about  the  same  period 
of  time  when  Europe  was  overrun  by  the  northern  hordes,  that  the 
region  now  called  the  United  States,  where  the  ancient  inb:ibitante 
had  fixed  their  abode,  was  also  overrun  by  northern  hordes  from 


174 


AUERICAIf  ANTIQUITIES 


toward  Bhering's  Straits,  who  had,  in  ages  before,  got  across  from 
Asia,  the  Tartars,  or  Scythians,  and  had  multiplied  ;  and  as  they 
multiplied  progressed  farther  and  farther  southerly,  till  they  disco- 
vered an  inhabited  country,  populous,  and  rich,  upon  whom  they 
fell  with  all  the  fury  of  Attila  and  his  Huns ;  till,  ;.fter  many  a  long 
and  dreadful  war,  they  were  reduced  in  numbers,  Mid  driven  from 
their  country  far  to  the  south ;  when  the  rich  fields,  vast  cities,  in- 
numerable towns,  with  all  their  works,  were  reduced  to  the  an- 
cient dominion  of  nature,  as  it  was  when  first  overgrown  immedi- 
ately after  the  flood,  except  their  vast  pyramids,  fortifications,  and 
tumuli,  these  being  of  the  same  nature  and  duribility  of  the  hills 
And  mountains,  have  stood  the  shock  of  war  and  time — the  monu- 
ments of  powerful  nations  disappeared. 

"  In  clearing  out  a  spring  near  some  ancient  ruins  of  the  west,  on, 
the  bank  of  the  Little  Miami,  not  far  from  its  entrance  into  the 
Ohio,  was  found  a  copper  coin,  four  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
earth  ;  from  the  fac  simile  of  which  it  appears  that  the  characters 
on  the  coin  are  old  Persian  characters. — Hone's  Universal  Geogra' 
phy^  Vol.  l,page  442. 

The  era  of  the  Persians,  as  noticed  on  the  page  of  history,  was 
from  559,  after  the  flood,  till  334,  before  Christ,  and  were  a  people 
of  great  strength,  of  enterprising  character,  and  enlightened  in  the 
arts  and  sciences ;  and  for  aught  that  can  be  objected,  traversed 
the  globe,  planted  colonies,  perhaps  even  in  America,  as  the  coin, 
which  lay  so  deep  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  would  seem  to 
justify  ;  which  was  truly  a  Persian  coin  of  copper. 

At  Cincinnati,  a  mound,  only  eight  feet  high,  but  one  hundred 
and  twenty  long,  by  sixty  in  breadth,  has  been  opened,  and  is  now 
almost  obliterated,  by  the  construction  of  Main-street,  which  has 
furnished  many  curious  discoveries  re!ati«  to  the  ancient  inhabi- 
tants who  built  it.  Of  the  articles  taken  fioin  thence,  many  have 
been  lost ;  but  the  most  worthy  of  notice  are  embraced  in  the  fol- 
lowing catalogue : 

1st.  Pieces  of  jasper,  rock  crystal,  granite,  and  some  other  sfones, 
cylindrical  at  the  extremes,  and  swelled  in  the  middle,  with  an  an- 
nular grove  near  the  end.  2.  A  circular  piece  of  stone  coal,  with 
a  large  opening  in  the  centre,  as  if  for  an  axis  or  axletree,  and  a 
deep  groove  ;  the  circumference  suitable  for  a  hand  ;  it  has  a  num- 
ber of  small  perforations,  disposed  in  four  equidistant  lines,  which 


kVJ>   DISCOVKRIES  IN  THE   WIST. 


I7» 


run  from  the  circumference  towards  the  centre.  3d.  A  imtll  arti- 
cle  of  the  same  shape,  with  eight  lines  of  perforations,  but  composed 
of  argilaceous  earth,  well  polished.  4th.  A  bone  ornamented  with 
several  lines,  supposed  to  be  hieroglyphical.  5th.  A  sculptured 
repro'^Mtation  of  the  head  and  beak  of  a  rapacious  bird,  resembling 
tke  «..•'  le.  6th.  A  mass  of  lead  ore,  lumps  of  which  have  been 
found  in  other  tumuli.  7th.  A  quantity  of  isinglass,  (mica  mem^ 
branacea,)  ^jcveral  plates  of  which  have  been  found  in  and  about 
other  mounds.  8th.  A  small  oval  piece  of  sheet  copper,  with  two 
perforations ;  a  large  oblong  piece  of  the  same  metal,  with  longitu- 
dinal grooves  and  ridges. 

These  articles  are  described  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  volumes  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Transactions,  by  Governeur  Sargeant 
and  Jud;;o  Turner,  and  were  supposed,  by  Philosopher  Baiton,  to 
have  been  designed,  in  part,  for  ornament,  and,  in  part,  for  super- 
stitious ceremonies.  In  addition  to  which,  the  author,  (Mr.  Atwa- 
ter,)  says,  he  has  since  discovered,  in  the  same  mound,  a  number 
of  beads,  or  sections,  of  small  hollow  cylinders,  apparently  of  bone 
or  shell. 

Several  large  marine  shells,  cut  in  such  a  manner  as  to  serve  for 
domestic  utensils,  and  nearly  converted  into  a  state  of  chalk  ;  seve- 
ral copper  articles,  each  consisting  of  two  sets  of  circular  conca.o 
convex  plates,  the  interior  of  each  set  connected  with  the  other  by 
a  hollow  axis,  around  which  had  been  wound  some  lint,  and  the 
whole  encompassed  by  the  bones  of  a  man's  hand.  About  the  pre- 
cincts of  this  town,  Cin  Jnnati,  human  bones  have  been  found  "  of 
different  sizes ;  sometio  ..^  enclosed  in  rude  stone  coffins,  but  of- 
tener  lying  blended  with  the  earth  ;  generally  surrounded  by  » 
portion  of  ashes  and  charcoal,"  as  if  they  had  been  burnt  either 
alive  or  dead,  as  the  Hindoos  burn  both  the  dead  husband  and  liv- 
ing wife,  on  the  same  funeral  pile.  See  Ward's  History  of  the  Hin" 
doos,  page  57  ;  where  \\e  states,  "  that  not  less  tLan  five  thousand 
of  these  unfortunate  women,  it  is  supposed,  are  burnt  annually." — 
Tbe  ancient  Jews  practised  the  same  thing  ;  see  Amos,  (jth  chap. 
10th  verse:  -'And  a  man's  uncle  shall  take  him  up,  and  he  that 
bumeth  him,  to  bring  out  the  bones  out  of  the  house."  The  ancient 
Edomites  burnt  the  dead  bodies  of  their  captured  enemies.  See 
Ao}09  2d  chapter,  1st  veri,e  :  "  He,"  that  is  Edom,  "  burned  the 


w 


1*76 


AMEHICAM  ANTlQUITIEli 


I 


;;«.i 


bonea  of  the  king  of  Edom  into  line.'    Tlie  isame  fllfty  liav'   uceti 
practised  in  America. 

'  jsiaes  these  relics  found  at  Marietta,  others,  e(|ually  iuterest- 
ing,  have  been  procured  from  a  mounc'  <  the  Little  Muskingum, 
about  four  miles  from  Marietta.  Theid  are  some  pieces  of  copper 
which  appear  to  have  been  the  front  part  of  a  h  hnet.  It  was  ori- 
ginally about  eight  inches  long  and  four  broad,  and  has  marks  of 
having  been  attached  to  leather  ;  it  is  much  decayed,  and  is  now 
quite  a  thiu  plate. 

The  helmet  was  worn  by  the  ancients  as  a  defence  against  the 
blows  of  the  sword,  aimed  at  the  head-  The  Greeks,  the  Romans, 
with  many  other  nations  of  antiquity,  made  use  of  this  majestic, 
beautiful,  warlike  covering  of  the  head.  But  how  came  this  part 
of  the  ancient  armor  in  America  ?  T!iis  is  the  mystery,  and  cannot 
be  solved,  only  on  the  principle  that  we  '  tilieve  the  wearers  lived 
in  those  ages  coeval  with  the  martial  exploits  of  the  Medes,  Per- 
sians, Carthaginians,  Egyptians,  Greeks,  Romans  and  of  the  Celtic 
nations  of  Europe. 

In  the  same  mound  on  the  Muskingum,  was  found  a  copper  or- 
nament ;  this  was  on  t^.e  forehead  of  a  human  skeleton,  no  part  of 
which  retained  its  form,  except  that  part  of  the  foiohead  where 
Ihe  copper  ornament  lay,  and  had  been  preserved  no  doubt  by  the 
tiiilts  of  that  mineral.  In  Virginia,  near  Blacksburgh,  eighty  miles 
i'rom  Marietta,  there  was  found  the  half  of  a  steei  bow,  which,  when 
entire,  would  measure  five  or  six  feet ;  the  other  part  was  corroded 
or  broken.  The  father  of  the  lad  who  found  the  bow  was  a  black- 
smith, and  worked  up  this  curious^article  with  as  little  remorse  as 
he  would  an  old  gun  barrel- 
In  the  18th  Psalm,  34th  verse,  mention  is  made  by  David,  king 
of  Israel,  of  the  steel  bow,  which  must  have  been  a  powerful  in- 
strument of  death  of  the  kind,  and  probably  well  known  to  the 
Jews,  as  superior  to  the  wooden  bow.  This  kind  of  warlike  artil' 
leri/f  the  bow  and  arrow,  has  been  used  by  all  nations,  and  in  all 
ages  of  time.  The  time  of  King  David  was  about  one  thousand  one 
hundred  years  before  Christ  ;  when,  he  says,  a  bow  of  steel  was 
broken  by  his  own  arm.  This  must  have  been  done  in  some  of 
his  fights  with  the  enemies  of  Saul,  as  it  is  not  very  probable  that 
he  fought  personally  after  he  came  to  the  kingdom  ;  and  from  his 
earnestness  in  the  fight,  drew  the  string  of  his  how  too  far,  so  that 


F 


AND    DIlCOTEIUBt  VA   TUB    WKIT. 


ITT 


the  instrameut  could  not  bear  it,  conieqveDtly  it  sntpped  arander  ; 
which  circumstance  he  has  celebrated  in  the  praises  of  the  God  of 
Israel,  as  an  evidence  of  the  aid  and  strength  derived  from  Uetven 

in  the  heat  of  battle.  .../".fa  m     ,i » . 

But  Dr.  Clarke  supposes  stef*!  is  out  of  the  question,  as  he  thinkt 
the  art  of  making  steel  was  uukn<  a  at  that  time,  and  believes  tha 
bow  allude'  to,  which  was  broken  by  David,  was  a  brass  one,  but 
it  is  unknown  '  the  writer  ol  this  work,  whether  brass  will  spring 
at  all  so  as  to  thr   v  n        ow  m.     any  effect.     But  why  may  not 


steel  have  been  kuowu,  u 
time  of  David,  as  w<      «' 
bidden,  and  more  so 
in  brass  and  iron,  before  t. 
to  procure  steel  from  iron, 
the  antediluvian  blacksmiths. 


irtof  producing  it  from  iron,  in  the 
uL  of  making  brass,  which  is  equally 
f  b.eel.     Tubal  Cain  was  a  worker 
1 ;  and  we  should  suppose  the  way 
>uld  as  soon  have  been  discovered  by 
as  a  knowledge  how  to  make  brass 
from  a  union  of  copper  and  zinc. 

The  discovery  ^f  this  steel  bow,  in  the  west,  is  exceedingly  cu- 
rious,  and  wold  seem  to  justify  the  belief  that  it  came  from  the  old 
world,  as  an  instrument  of  warfare  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the 
Asiatic,  African,  or  European  nations,  possibly  Danes,  as  the  pre- 
sent Indian  nations  were  found  destitute  of  every  kind  of  bow  and 
arrow,  except  that  of  wood. 

"  In  Ross  county,  near  Chillicothe,  a  few  years  since,  was  found 
in  the  hand  of  a  skeleton,  which  lay  buried  in  a  small  mound,  an 
ornament  of  pure  gold  ;  this  curiosity,  it  is  said,  is  now  in  the  Mu- 
seum at  Philadelphia." — Atwaler.  The  tumuli,  in  what  is  called 
the  Sciota  country,  are  both  numerous  and  interesting.  But  south 
of  Lake  Erie,  until  we  arrive  at  Worthmgton,  nine  miles  north  of 
Columbus,  they  are  few  in  number,  and  of  comparatively  small 
magnitude.  Near  Columbuo,  the  seat  of  government  of  Ohio,  were 
several  mounds,  one  of  which  stood  on  an  eminence  in  the  princi- 
pal street,  which  has  been  entirely  removed,  and  converted  into 
bricks.  It  contained  human  bones,  some  few  articles,  among  which 
was  an  otc/,  carved  in  stone,  a  rude  but  very  exact  representation. 
The  owl,  among  the  Romans,  was  the  emblem  of  wisdom,  and 
it  is  not  impossible  but  the  ancients  of  the  west,  may  have  carved  it  in 
the  stone  for  the  same  reason ;  who  may  have  been  in  part  RoauoMy 
or  nations  derived  from  them,  or  nations  acquainted  with  their  mtnh 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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AMSRICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


f: 


'i 


nen,  their  gods,  and  their  sculpture,  as  we  suppose  the  Danes 
were. 

^*  In  another  part  of  the  town  of  Columbus,  was  a  tumulus  of 
clay,  which  was  also  manufactured  into  bricks.  In  this  were  many 
human  bones  ;  but  they  lay  in  piles,  and  in  confusion,"  which 
would  seem  to  elicit  the  belief,  that  these  were  the  bones  of  an  en- 
emy, or  they  would  have  been  laid  in  their  accustomed  order. — 
Or  they  may  have  been  the  bones  of  the  conquered,  thrown  togeth- ' 
er  in  a  confused  manner,  and  buried  beneath  this  mound. 

As  we  still  descend  the  Sciota,  through  a  most  fertile  region  of 
country,  mounds  and  other  ancient  works,  frequently  appear,  until 
we  arrive  at  Circleville.  Near  the  centre  of  the  circular  fort  at 
Circleville,  was  a  tumulus  of  earth,  about  ten  feet  high,  and  seve- 
ral rods  in  diameter  at  its  base.  On  its  eastern  side,  and  extending 
six  rods  from  it,  was  a  semicircular  pavement,  composed  of  pebbles 
such  as  are  now  found  in  the  bed  of  Sciota  river,  from  whence  they 
appear  to  have  been  taken.  The  summit  of  this  tumulus  was  near- 
ly ninety  feet  in  circumference,  with  a  raised  way  to  it,  leading 
from  the  east,  like  a  modem  turnpike.  The  summit  was  level. — 
The  outline  of  the  semicircular  pavement,  and  the  wtilk,  are  still 
discernible.  Mr.  Atwater  was  present  when  this  mound  was  re- 
moved, and  carefully  examined  the  contents  it  developed.  They 
were  as  follows :  First ;  two  skeletons,  lying  on  what  had  been 
the  origins!  surface  of  the  earth.  Second  ;  a  great  quantity  of  ar- 
row heads,  some  of  which  were  so  large  as  to  induce  a  belief  that 
they  were  used  for  spear  heads.  Third ;  the  handle,  either  of  a 
small  sword,  or  a  large  knife,  made  of  an  elk^s  horn  ;  around  the 
end  where  the  blade  ha^been  inserted,  was  a  fenile  of  silver, 
which,  though  black,  was  not  much  injured  by  time  :  though  the 
handle  showed  the  hole  where  the  blade  had  been  inserted,  yet  no 
iron  was  found,  but  an  oxyde  or  rust,  remained,  of  similar  shape 
end  size.  The  swords  of  the  ancient  nations  of  the  old  world,  it  is 
known,  were  very  short.  Fourth  ;  charcoal,  and  wood  ashes,  on 
which  these  articles  lay,  were  surrounded  by  several  bricks,  very 
well  burnt.  The  skeleton  appeared  to  have  been  burnt  in  a  large 
and  very  hot  fire,  which  had  almost  consumed  the  bones  of  the  de- 
ceased. This  skeleton  was  deposited  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
centre  of  the  tumuln»;  and  about  twenty  feet  to  the  north  of  it  was 
another,  with  which  was  found  a  large  mirror,  about  three  feet  in 


)  ( 


/    ■ 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


11^ 


length,  one  foot  and  a  half  in  width,  and  one  inch  and  a  half  in 
thickness ;  this  was  of  isinglass,  (mica  memhranacea.)        i  -'^eiP 

On  this  mirror  was  a  plate  of  iron,  which  had  become  an  oxyde ; 
but  before  it  was  f^'^turbed  by  the  spade,  resembled  a  plate  of  ctut 
iron.  The  mirror  answered  the  purpose  very  well  for  which  it  was 
intended.  This  skeleton  had  also  been  burned  like  the  former, 
and  lay  on  charcoal  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  wood  ashes ;  a 
part  of  the  mirror  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Atwater,  as  also  a 
piece  of  brick,  taken  from  the  spot  at  the  time.  The  knife,  or 
sword  handle,  was  sent  to  Peale's  museum,  Philadelphia.  To  the 
southwest  of  this  tumulus,  about  forty  rods  from  it,  is  another,  more 
than  ninety  feet  in  height.  It  standii  on  a  large  hill,  which  appears 
to  be  artificial.  This  must  have  been  the  common  cemetry,  as  it 
contains  an  immense  number  of  human  skeletons,  of  all  sizes  and 
ages.  These  skeletons  are  laid  horizontally,  with  their  heads  gen- 
erally towards  the  centre,  and  the  feet  towards  the  outside  of  the 
tumulils.  In  it  have  been  found,  besides  these  skeletons,  stone 
axes  and  stone  knives,  auA  several  ornaments,  with  holes  through 
them,  by  means  of  which,  with  a  cord  passng  through  these  perfo- 
rations, they  could  be  worn  by  their  owners.        %*V  «<?»»?  v4*ix« 

On  the  south  side  of  this  tumulus,  and  not  far  from  it,  was  a  se- 
micircular fossee,  or  ditch,  six  feet  deep ;  which,  when  examined 
at  the  bottom,  was  found  to  coutain  a  great  quantity  of  human  bones, 
which,  it  is  believed,  were  the  remains  of  those  who  had  been  slain 
in  some  great  and  destructive  battle ;  because  they  belonged  toper- 
sons  invariably  who  had  attained  their  full  size  ;  while  those  found 
in  the  mound  adjoining,  were  of  all  sizes,  gicat  and  small,  but  laid 
in  good  order,  while  those  in  the  ditch  were  in  the  utmot:t  confu- 
sion ;  and  were,  no  doubt,  the  conquered  invaders,  buried  thus  in* 
gloriously,  where  they  had  intrenched  themselves,  and  fell  in  the 
struggle. 

The  mirror  was  a  monstrous  piece  of  isinglass^,  a  lucid  mineral, 
larger  than  we  recollect  to  have  ever  heard  of  before,  and  used 
among  the  rich  of  the  ancients,  for  lights  and  mirrors.  A  mirror  of 
any  kind,  in  which  men  muy  be  enabled  to  contemplate  their  own 
form,  is  evidence  of  a  considerable  degree  of  advancement  in  the 
arts,  if  not  even  of  luxury  itself. 

The  Rev.  Robert  G.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  of  Chillicothe,  furnished  the 
Antiquarian  Society,  ^vith  information  concerning  the  mound,  which 


"vv 


f: 


IM 


AllERICAIT  ANTIQUIXIE* 


I    ' 


I'.. 


;  ^  .f, 


once  stood  near  the  centre  of  that  town.  He  took  pains  to  write 
down  its  contents  at  the  time  of  its  demolition.  Its  perpendicular 
height  was  ahout  fifteen  feet,  and  the  circumference  of  its  hase 
•bout  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  composed  of  sand.  It  was  not 
till  this  pile  of  earth  had  been  removed,  that  the  original  design  of 
its  builders  could  be  discovered.  On  a  common  level  with  the  sur* 
rounding  earth,  at  the  very  bottom  of  this  mound  they  had  devoted 
•bout  twenty  feet  square ;  this  was  found  to  have  been  covered  at ' 
first  with  bark,  on  which  lay,  in  the  centre,  a  human  skeleton, 
overspread  with  a  mat,  manufactured  from  weeds  or  bark,  but 
greatly  decayed. 

On  the  breast  of  this  person  lay,  what  had  been  a  piece  of  cop* 
per  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  which  had  become  verdigris ;  on  the 
breast  aleo  lay  a  stone  ornament,  three  inches  in  length,  and  two 
•lid  a  half  in  width,  with  two  perforations,  one  near  each  end, 
through  which  passed  a  string,  by  means  of  which  it  was  suspend- 
ed  from  the  wearer's  neck.  On  this  string,  which  appeared  to 
have  been  made  of  the  sinews  of  some  animal,  which  had  been 
cured  or  tanned,  but  were  very  much  injured  by  time,  was  strung 

•  great  many  beads,  mtiie  o( ivory  or  bone, he  could  not  tell  which. 
With  these  facts  before  us,  we  are  left  to  conjecture  at  what  time 

this  individual  lived,  what  were  his  heroic  deeds  in  the  field  of 
battle ;  his  wisdom,  his  virtues,  his  eloquence  in  the  councils  of  his 
nation ;  for  his  cotemporaries  have  testified  in  a  manne*  '-  to  be 
mistaken,  that  among  them  he  was  held  in  honorable  «  .  ateful 
remembrance,  by  the  mound  which  was  raised  over  him  at  his 
decease.  »  ,-  _.;  >,  ■.,^,v    .)    ./, 

The  cross  on  the  breast  of  this  skeleton,  excites  the  most  surprise, 
as  that  the  cross  is  the  emblem  of  the  Christl&n  religion.     It  is  true, 

•  knowledge  of  this  badge  of  Christianity,  may  have  been  dissemi- 
nated from  Jerusalem,  even  as  far  east  as  to  China  ;  as  we  know  it 
was  at  a  very  early  period,  made  known  in  many  countries  of  Eu- 
rope,  Africa,  and  Asia ;  especially,  at  the  era  when  the  Roman  em- 
peror Constantino,  in  the  year  331,  ordered  all  the  heathen  temples 
to  be  destroyed,  for  the  sake  of  Christianity,  throughout  his  vast 
dominion. 

The  reader  may  recollect,  we  have  elicited  tin  argument,  from 
the  age  of  the  timber,  or  forest  Uees,  growing  on  the  mound,  at 
Muiett*)  pnqposing  to  show  the  probable  era  when  the  country  be> 


wr^^r:.; 


h 


A':  . '  ■■•■;' 


AK'O    DIlCOTEBXfiS   IM   THE   VTEST. 


181 


«tme  depopulated ;  and  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  at  least,  about 
thirteen  hundred  years  have  passed  away  since  that  catastrophe. 

This  would  give  about  five  hundred  years  from  Christ  till  the  de- 
population of  the  ancient  western  country ;  so  that,  during  the  liipse 
•of  those  five  centuries,  a  knowledge  of  what  had  been  propagated 
«t  Jerusalem  about  Christ,  may  have  been,  easily  enough  by  mis- 
lionaries,  travelling  philosophers  of  the  Romans,  Greeks,  or  of  oth- 
er naticns,  carried  as  well  to  China,  as  to  other  distant  countries,  as 
we  know  was  the  fact.  ;  >■■'/:»,  '    v.-vr  -■tv.ji*i,iftji-f..-,\  "♦•■  .tfei.*.ii^i 

The  string  of  beads,  and  the  stone  on  his  breast,  which  we  take 
the  liberty  of  calling  the  Shalgramu  stone,  or  the  stone  in  which 
the  Hindoos  suppose  the  god  Vishnoo  resides ;  together  with  the 
copper  cross  on  his  breast,  and  beads  on  his  neck,  are  circumst  inces, 
which  strongly  argue  that  a  mixture  of  Brahminism  and  Christian- 
ity vvere  embraced  by  this  individual.  To  prove  that  the  wearing 
of  beads  around  the  neck,  or  on  the  arm,  for  the  purposes  of  devo- 
tion, is  a  religious  Hindoo  custom,  we  refer  to  Ward's  late  history 
of  those  nations,  who  was  a  Baptist  missionary,  among  that  people, 
and  died  in  that  country.  This  author  says,  page  40,  that  Brumha, 
the  grandfather  of  the  gods,  holds  in  his  hand,  a  string  of  beads, 
as  an  evidence  of  his  devotion  or  goodness.  Ungecj  the  regent  of 
fire,  is  represented  witU  a  bead  roll  in  his  hand,  to  show  that  he  la 
merciful  or  propitious,  to  those  who  call  upon  him. — page  45^  >  k 

The  Hindoo  mendicants,  or  saints,  as  they  suppose  themselves, 
kave  invariably,  a  string  of  beads,  made  of  bone,  teeth  of  animals, 
ivory,  stones,  or  the  seeds  of  plants,  or  of  something,  hanging  about 
their  necks,  or  on  their  arms,  which  they  recount,  calling  over  and 
over,  without  end,  the  namie  of  the  god,  as  evidence  of  devotion  to 
him. — page  422.  ,     k  -;-•;  v^>,...-V',.t.-  •■;,;  ,f, -i  .-i -i-hk^fiiSi' pi 

The  devotions  of  the  ascetic  disciples  among  the  Hindoos,  con- 
sists in  repeating  incessantly  the  name  of  their  god,  using,  at  the 
same  time,  the  bead  roll,  or  rosary,  as  the  catholics  do.— page  427. 
'*  Strings  of  beads  were  used  for  this  purpose,  from  remotest  a&U* 
quity,  in  all  eastern  Asia." — Humboldt,  page  204.   ..►•...«..  i. . , 

This  euthor  further  says,  "  the  rosuricy"  which  is  a  string  of  beads, 
"  have  been  in  use  in  Thibet  and  China,  from  time  immemorial ; 
and  that  the  custom  passed  from  the  east,  viz.  China,  to  the  Chri»> 
tiaiu  in  th«  weit,  viz.  Europe ;"  and  are  found  among  tha  catholics ; 


/*■  " 


Hits 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


w 


Ml 


no  other  sect  of  Christians,  that  we  know  of,  have  bonowed  any 
traj^ings  from  the  pagans,  to  aid  in  their  devotions,  but  this.       if 

The  stone  found  on  his  breast,  as  before  remarked,  we  assume  to 
call  the  Shalgramu  stone.  See  also,  Ward's  account  of  this  stone, 
page  41  and  44,  as  follows : 

A  stone  called  the  Shalgramu  is  a  form  of  the  god  Vishnoo,  and 
is  in  another  case,  the  representative  of  the  god,  Saoryu,  or  the 
Sun — page  52,  The  Shalgramu,  or  Lingu,  is  a  black  stone,  found 
in  a  part  of  the  Gundeekee  river.  They  are  mostly  perforated,  in 
one  or  more  places,  by  worms,  while  at  the  bottom  of  the  river ;  but 
the  Hindoos  believe  the  god  Vishnoo,  in  the  shape  of  a  reptile,  re- 
sides in  this  stone,  and  caused  the  holes. 

With  this  belief,  how  very  natural  it  would  be  to  wear  on  the 
breast,  either  in  view  or  concealed,  this  stone,  as  an  amulet,  or 
charm,  as  found  on  the  breast  of  this  skeleton,  in  union  with  the 
cross. 

We  are  inclined  to  believe,  that  the  Roman  Catholic  religion, 
borrowed,  at  a  very  early  period,  after  their  peculiar  formation,  and 
corruption,  subsequent  to  the  time  of  Constantino,  the  notion  of 
the  rosary,  or  bead  roll,  which  they  recount  while  saying  prayers, 
from  the  Hindoos ;  and  that  from  Christian  missioneries^e  Hin- 
doo Bramhins  borrowed  the  idea  of  the  cross,  which  they  might 
also  wear,  together  with  the  Lingu  stone,  as  an  amulet  or  charm. 
For  we  see  on  the  breast  of  this  person,  both  the  emblem  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  of  the  Hindoos'  superstition,  on  which  account,  we  are 
of  the  opiiiion,  that  the  ministers  of  the  Bramhin  religion,  lie  buried 
beneath  many  of  the  western  mounds.  ''    '     "        '^  ".iv 

Mr.  Ward  informs  us,  page  272,  that  near  the  town  of  Dravina, 
in  Hondostan-hu,  are  shown  to  this  day,  or  at  the  time  he  lived  in 
India,  four  small  elevations,  or  mounds,  from  the  top  of  which,  the 
great  ascetic  philosopher,  Shunkuracharyu,  used  to  teach  and  ha- 
rangue the  people  and  his  disciples.  From  this  circumstance,  we  > 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  oratorial  -jme  of  the  mounds  in  the  east ; 
and  why  not  the  same  use  be  derived  from  them  to  the  ancient  peo- 
ple of  the  west ;  and  more  especially  so,  if  they  may  be  believed 
to  have,  in  any  measure,  derived  themselves  from  any  nations  of 
the  Chinese  world. 


AND  discoveries  in   the   WESf. 


I8d 


my 


'   .,    ■>/-,■''•    |^'f>    ■■*l't''d  . -if'-''''  "'    '■■'''it.''     '  -t^'h' '■' ^'''■•ft«/ ■/■'■''rFJ'ft.<'*<»***?' 


*V,.i 


GREAT  WORKS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  NATIONS  ON  Tljil  NOH'^'H 
FORK  OF  PAINT  CREEK.      ■;      ' ' ,'  '  ' 


we 


On  ttte  north  branch  of  this  creek,  fire  miles  from  Chilicotlie, 
are  works  so  immense,  that  although  we  have  given  the  reader  se- 
veral accounts  of  this  kind,  yet  we  cannot  well  pass  over  these. 

They  are  situated  on  an  elevated  piece  of  land,  called  the  se- 
cond bottom.  The  first  bottom,  or  flat,  extends  from  Paint  Creek, 
till  it  is  met  by  a  bank  of  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  which  runs 
in  a  straight  line,  and  parallel  with  the  stream.  An  hundred  rods 
from  the  top  of  this  first  bank,  is  another  bank,  of  thirty  feet  in 
height,  the  wall  of  the  works  runs  up  this  bank,  and  twenty  rods 
beyond  it.  The  whole  land  enclosed,  is  six  hundred  and  twenty 
rods  in  circumference,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres  of  land.  /  ,  _ 

This  second  bank,  runs  also  parallel  with  the  creek,  and  with 
the  first.  On  this  beautiful  elevation,  is  situated  this  immense 
work,  containing  within  it,  seventeen  mounds  of  difierent  sizes. 
Three  hundred  and  eighty  rods  of  this  fort  are  encompassed  with  a 
wall  twelve  feet  high,  a  ditch  twenty  feet  wide,  and  the  wall,  the 
same  at  its  base.  Two  hundred  and  forty  rods,  running  along  on 
the  top  of  the  first  bank,  is  the  rest  of  the  wall ;  but  is  without  a 
ditch  ;  this  is  next  to  the  river  or  creek,  between  which  and  the 
water,  is  the  first  bottom  or  flat.  Within  this  great  enclosure,  is  a 
circular  work  of  an  hundred  rods  in  circumference,  with  a  wall 
and  ditch  surrounding  it,  of  the  same  height  of  the  other  wall. 
Within  this  great  circle,  are  six  mounds,  of  the  circular  form  ;  these 
are  full  of  human  bones ;  the  rest  of  the  mounds,  eleven  in  num- 
ber, are  for  some  other  purpose.  There  are  seven  gateways,  of 
about  five  rods  in  width,  each.  "  The  immense  labor,  and  nume- 
rous cemeteries,  filled  with  human  bones  denote  a  vast  population, 
near  this  spot,  in  ancient  times." — Atwater. 

"  Tumuli  are  very  common  on  the  river  Ohio,  from  its  utmost 
sources  to  its  mouth,  although  on  the  Monongahela,  they  are  few, 
and  comparatively  small  but  increase  in  number  and  size,  as  we 
descend  towards  the  mouth  of  that  stream  at  Pittsburgh,  where  the 


.0 


•\ ) 


■/,'• 


IM 


AMrmCAM  ANTiqClTIU 


Ohio  begins ;  after  this  they  are  still  more  numerous  and  of  greater 
dimensions,  till  we  arrive  at  Grave  Creek,  below  Wheeling. 

At  this  place,  situated  between  two  creeks,  which  run  into  the 
Ohio,  a  little  way  from  the  river,  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
and  august  monumenta  of  antiquity,  of  the  mound  description.  Its 
circumference  at  its  base,  is  fifty-six  rods,  its  perpendicular  height 
ninety  feet,  its  top  seven  rods  and  eight  feet  in  circumference. 
The  centre  at  the  sumit,  appears  to  have  sunk  several  feet  so  as  to 
form  a  kind  of  amphitheatre.  The  rim  enclosing  this  concavity  is 
seven  or  eight  feet  in  thickness ;  on  the  south  side,  in  the  edge  of 
this  rim,  stands  a  large  beach  tree,  the  baik  of  which  is  marked 
trith  the  initials  of  a  great  number  of  visitants.". 

This  lofty  and  venerable  tumulus  has  been  so  far  opened,  as  to 
ascertain  that  it  contains  many  thousands  of  human  skeletons,  but 
no  farther ; .  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Tomlinson,  will  not  suffer  its  de- 
molition, in  the  smallest  degree,  for  which  he  is  highly  praiso 
worthy.         .  .,  ,.  . ,  ■•■ 

Following  the  river  Ohio  downwards,  the  mounds  appear  ob 
both  sides,  erected  uniformly,  on  the  highest  alluvials  along  that 
stream,  increasing  in  numbers  all  the  %vay  to  the  Mississippi,  ou. 
which  river  they  assume  the  largest  size. 

Not  having  surveyed  them,  says  Mr.  Atwater,  we  shall  use  the 
description  of  Mr.  Breckenridge,  who  travelled  much  in  the  west, 
and  among  the  Indians,  and  devoted  much  attention  to  the  subject 
of  these  astonishing  western  antiquites. 

These  tumuli,  says  Mr.  Breckenridge,  as  well  as  the  fortifica- 
tions, are  to  be  found  at  the  junction  of  all  the  rivers,  along  the 
Mississippi,  in  the  most  eligible  positions  for  towns,  and  in  the  most 
extensive  bodies  of  fertile  land.  Their  number  exceeds,  perhaps, 
three  thousand ;  the  smallest,  not  less  than  twenty  feet  in  height, 
and  three  hundred  in  circumference  at  the  base.  Their  great  num- 
ber, and  the  amazing  size,  may  be  regarded  as  furnishing,  with 
other  circumstances,  evidence  of  their  great  antiquity. 

I  have  been  sometimes  induced  to  think,  that  at  the  period  when 
these  Were  constructed,  there  was  a  jrapulation  as  numerous  as  that 
which  once  animated  the  borders  of  the  Nile,  or  of  the  Euphrates. 
The  most  numerous,  as  well  as  the  most  considerable  of  these  re- 
mains, are  found  precisely  in  those  parts  of  the  country  where  the 
traces  of  a  numerous  population  might  be  looked  for,  namely,  from 


AND   DIBCOTERIBS  IN  THE   WEST- 


t!he  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  to  the  Illinois, 
«ik1  oq  the  west  side,  from  the  St.  Francis  to  the  Missouri.  I  am 
fpetfecily  satisfied  that  cUiea,  similar  to  those  of  ancient  Mexico,  of 
«everal  hundred  thousand  SQuJis,  bav«  existed  in  this  western  coua- 
try." — Breckenridge.  .;-.,...>  ..s..,\  «^>/    w<t  i.> 

From  this  /iew  we  are  compelled  to  look  upon  those  nations  u 
agriculturists,  or  they  could  not  have  subsisted ;  neither  wild  game 
nor  fish  could  possibly  support  so  great  a  population.  If  agricul- 
turists,  then  it  must  fojl&w,  of  necessity,  that  many  modes  of 
building,  as  with  Stone,  timber,  earth  or  clay,  were  practised  and 
known,  as  well  as  methods  of  clearing  the  earth  of  heavy  tember^ 
And  if  they  had  not  a  knowledge  of  metals,  we  cannot  well  con- 
ceive how  they  could  have  removed  the  forests  for  the  purposes  of 
husbandry,  and  space  for  building.  But  if  we  suppose  they  did 
not  build  houses  with  wood,  stone  and  brick,  but  lived  in  tents  or 
some  fragile  hut,  yet  the  use  of  metals  cannot  be  dispensed  withy 
on  account  of  the  forests  to  be  removed  for  agricultural  purposes. 
Baron  Humboldt  informs  us,  in  his  Researches  in  South  America^ 
that  when  he  crossed  the  Cordillera  mountains,  by  the  way  of  Par> 
nama  and  Assuay,  aiKl  viewed  the  enormous  masses  of  stone  cut 
from  the  porphyry  quarries  of  PuUal,  which  was  employed  in  con- 
structing the  ancient  highroads  of  the  Incas,  that  he  began  to 
doubt  whether  the  Peruvians  were  not  acquainted  with  other  tools 
than  hatcliets  made  of  flint  and  stone  ;  and  that  grinding  one  stone 
on  another  to  make  them  smooth  and  level,  was  not  the  only  me- 
thod they  had  employed  in  this  operation.  On  which  account  he 
adopted  a  new  opinion,  contrary  to  those  generally  received  He 
conjectured  that  they  must  have  had  tools  made  of  copper,  L/c'lcn- 
ed  with  tin,  such  as  it  is  known  the  early  nations  of  Asia  made  use 
of.  This  conjecture  was  fully  sustained  by  the  discovery  of  an  an- 
cient Peruvian  mining  chisel,  in  a  silver  mine  at  Yilcabamba,  which 
had  been  worked  in  the  time  of  the  Incas.  This  instrument  of  copr 
per  was  twelve  centimeters  long  and  two  broad,  or  in  English  mea- 
sure, four  inches  long,  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  wide  ;  which 
he  carried  with  him  to  Europe,  where  he  had  it  analyzed,  and 
found  it  to  contain  ninety-four  parts  of  copper  and  six  of  tin.  He. 
says  that  this  keen  copper  of  the  Peruvians  is  almost  identically 
the  same  with  that  of  the  ancient  Galic  axe,  which  cut  wood  near- 
ly as  well  as  if  made  of  iron  and  steel. 

24 


iM 


AMKRICAN  ANTIQUITIGI 


r'ilV 


Every  where,  on  the  old  continent,  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil- 
ization of  nations,  the  use  of  copper,  mixed  with  tin,  prevailed  over 
that  of  iron,  even  in  places  where  the  latter  had  been  for  a  long 
time  known.  Antonio  de  Herera,  in  the  tenth  Book  of  his  History 
of  the  West  Indies,  says,  expressly,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
maritime  coast  of  Zocatallan,  in  South  America,  prepared  two  sorts 
of  copper,  of  which  one  was  hard  and  cutting,  and  the  other  malea- 
bie  ;  the  hard  copper  was  to  make  hatchets,  weapons,  and  instru- 
ments of  agriculture  with,  and  that  it  was  tempered  with  tin.-— 
Hmholdtj  Vol.  Ij/Mijfcs  260—268. 

Among  a  great  variety  of  the  gods  of  the  people  of  the  Tonga 
Islands,  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean,  is  found  one  god,  named  To'^ 
Ocummea  ;  which  is,  literally,  the  Iron  Axe.  From  which  circum- 
stance we  imagine  the  people  of  those  islands,  sometimes  called  the 
Fritndhf  hlandsy  were,  at  some  period  before  their  having  been 
cBscovered  by  Captain  Cook,  acquainted  with  the  use  of  iron,  and 
consequently  in  a  more  civilized  condition.  Because  men,  in  those 
early  times,  were  apt  to  deify  almost  every  thing,  but  especially 
tiiose  things  the  most  useful. 

Were  the  people  of  Christendom  to  lose  their  knowledge  of  the 
true  God,  and  to  fall  back  into  nature's  ignorance,  is  there  an  arti- 
cle, within  the  compass  of  the  arts,  which  would,  from  its  useful- 
ness, have  a  higher  claim  to  deification,  than  the  metal  called  iron. 

That  group  of  islands  belongs  to  the  immense  range  shooting  out 
from  New-Holland,  in  south  latitude  about  20  degrees,  and  once 
perhaps  were  united  to  China,  forming  a  part  of  the  continent.  But 
however  this  may  be,  the  fast  inhabitants  of  those  islands  were  de- 
rived from  China,  and  carried  with  them  a  knowledge  of  the  arts  ; 
among  which  was  that  of  the  use  of  iron,  in  the  form  of  the  axe, 
which  it  appears  had  become  deified  from  its  usefulness. 

The  reason  of  the  loss  of  this  knowledge,  must  have  been  the 
separation  of  their  country  fror  i  the  continent,  by  convulsions,  from 
age  to  age  ;  which  not  only  altered  the  shape  and  condition  of  the 
land,  but  threw  the  inhabitants  into  confusion,  separating  them  far 
from  each  other,  the  sea  running  between,  so  that  they  became  re- 
duced to  savagism,  as  they  were  found  by  the  first  Christian  na- 
vigators. 


AMP    PISCOVEEIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


187 


'  '   "•-"■1    uiU 


TRAITS  OF  ANCIENT  CITIES  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


Woil 


Nearly  opposite  St.  Louis,  there  are  the  traces  of  two  ancient 
cities,  in  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  situated  on  the  Cohokia  creek^ 
which  empties  into  the  Mississipi,  but  a  short  distance  below  that 
place.  Here  is  situated  one  of  those  Pyramids,  which  is  an  hun* 
dred  and  fifty  rods  in  circumference  at  its  base,  (nearly  an  half 
mile,)  and  one  hundred  feet  high.  At  St.  Lonis  is  one  with  two 
stages  or  landing  places,  as  the  architectural  phrase  is.  There  is 
another  with  three  stages,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  a  few  miles 
above  St.  Louis.  With  respect  to  the  stages,  or  landing  places,  of 
these  pyramids,  we  are  reminded  of  the  tower  once  standing  in  old 
Babylon,  which  had  eight  stages  from  its  base  to  the  summit,  mak- 
ing it  six  hundred  feet  high. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Cohokia  creek,  a  short  distance  below  St. 
Louis,  are  two  groups  of  those  mounds,  of  smaller  size,  but  we  are 
not  informed  of  their  exact  number.  At  Bayeau  Mauchac  and  Ba> 
ton  Rouge,  are  several  mounds,  one  of  which  is  composed  chiefly 
of  shells,  which  the  inhabitants  bum  into  lime.  There  is  a  mound 
on  Black  river,  which  has  two  stages  or  stories ;  this  is  surrounded 
with  a  group  of  lesser  ones,  as  well  as  those  at  Bayeau  Manchac, 
and  Baton  Rouge.  There  is  one  of  those  pyramids  near  Washing- 
ton, in  the  state  of  Mississippi,  which  is  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
feet  high ;  which  is  but  little  short  of  nine  rods  perpendicular  ele- 
vation, and  fifty-six  rods  in  circumference.  Mr.  Breckenridge  is 
of  the  opinion  that  the  largest  city,  belonging  to  this  people,  the 
authors  of  the  mounds  an  i  oi^her  works,  was  situated  on  the  plains 
between  St.  Francis  and  the  Arkansas.  There  is  no  doubt  but  in 
the  neighborhood  of  St.  Louis  must  have  been  cities  or  large  towns 
of  these  ancient  people  ;  as  the  number  and  size  of  the  mounds 
above  recounted  would  most  certainly  justify. 

Fifteen  miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  the  town  of  St. 
Louis,  on  the  Merimac  river,  was  discovered,  by  a  Mr.  Long,  on 
lands  which  he  had  purchased  there,  several  mounds  of  the  ordina- 
ry size,  as  found  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  all  of  which  go  to 
establish  that  this  country,  lying  between  the  Missouri  and  the 


( 


iH 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


■  l! 


Misfiuippi  rivers,  below  St.  Louis,  and  between  the  junction  of 
the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  above,  with  the  whole  region  about 
the  union  of  those  rivers  with  each  other, — which  are  all  not  far 
from  St.  Louis — was  once  the  seat  of  empire ;  equal,  if  not  sur- 
passing the  population  and  the  arts,  as  once  they  flourished  on  the 
plains  of  Shinar,  the  seat  of  Chaldean  power,  and  on  the  banks  of 
the  Euphrates. 

It  was  on  the  lands  of  this  gentleman,  Mr.  Long,  that  the  disco< 
very  of  a  burying  ground,  containing  a  vast  number  of  small  tumu-' 
li,  or  graves,  took  place.  On  opening  these  graves,  there  were 
found  deposited,  in  stone  coffins,  composed  of  stone  slabs,  six  in 
number,  forming  the  bottom,  sides  and  top,  with  end  pieces ;  the 
skeletons  of  a  race  of  human  beings  apparently  of  but  from  three  to 
four  feet  in  height.  This  discovery  excited  much  surprise,  and  call- 
ed forth,  from  several  pens,  the  conjectures  of  able  men,  who  pub- 
lished a  variety  of  opinions  respecting  them.  Some  imagined  them 
to  be  the  relics  of  a  race  of  pigmy  inhabitants  who  had  become  ex- 
tinct. Others  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  teeth,  which  denoted 
full  grown  and  adult  persons,  conjectuied  them  to  be  the  skeletons 
of  a  race  of  baboons  or  monkeys,  from  the  shortness  of  their  stature. 
From  this  opinion  arose  another  conjecture,  that  they  had  been  the 
objects  of  worship  to  the  ancient  nations,  as  they  had  been  some- 
times among  the  earlier  Egyptians.  ,,       ,  .    ,.., 

The  bones  of  these  subjects  were  entirely  destroyed,  and  reduc- 
ed to  ashes  of  a  white  chalky  consistency,  except  the  teeth,  which 
were  perfect,  being  made  imperishable  from  their  enamel.  Many 
of  these  graves  were  opened,  and  the  inmates  found  not  to  exceed 
three  and  four  feet.  At  length  one  was  opened,  and  the  skeleton 
it  contained  appeared  to  be  of  the  full  size  of  a  large  man,  except 
its  length ;  this,  however,  on  close  inspection  was  found  to  have 
had  its  legs  disjointed  at  the  knees,  and  placed  along  side  the  thigh 
bones,  which  at  once,  in  the  eyes  of  some,  accounted  for  the  sta« 
tures  of  the  whole. 

Such  a  custom  is,  indeed,  singular ;  and  among  all  the  discove- 
ries of  those  ancient  traits,  nothing  to  compare  with  this  has  come 
to  light.  Respecting  this  instance  of  short  skeletons,  it  has  been 
also  urged  that  as  certain  tribes  of  the  common  Indians,  now  inha- 
biting the  upper  shores  of  the  Missouri,  place  their  dead  on  scaffolds 
and  in  baskets,  fastened  to  the  limbs  of  trees,  till  their  flesh  be- 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  ITEST. 


189 


comes  separated  from  the  bones,  that  the  authors  of  these  short 
graves  did  the  same.  And  that  when  by  this  process,  they  had 
become  fair  and  white,  they  deposited  them  in  small  coffins,  as  dis- 
covered on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Long.  13ut  although  this  is,  doubt- 
less, true  respecting  the  Missouri  Indians,  yet  we  have  no  account 
of  short  graves  having  been  found  among  them.  But  as  we  are 
unable  to  cast  light  on  this  discovery,  we  shall  leave  it  as  we  found 
Itr—tL  great  curiosity. 


•1    •/i*^ 


''■>■■''  ..;■;  V,'  .'i  :;  ir  n    ■  •■l-'u'-'i-  ^?'» 


rf 


i 


'in'^ 


■.-^.I'i.". 


TRADITION  OF  THE  MEXICAN  NATIVES  RESPECTING  THEIR 
MIGRATION  FROM  THE  NORTH. 


.  In  corroboration  of  Mr.  Atwater's  opinion,  with  respect  to  the 
gradual  remove  of  the  ancient  people  of  the  west  toward  Mexico, 
we  subjoin  what  we  have  gathered  from  the  Researches  of  Baron 
Humboldt,  on  that  point.  See  Helen  Maria  William's  translation 
of  Humboldt's  Researches  in  South  America,  Vol.  2,  p.  67.  From 
which  it  appears  the  people  inhabiting  the  vale  of  Mexico,  at  the 
time  the  Spaniard's  overrun  that  country,  were  called  Aztecks,  or 
Aztekas ;  and  were,  as  the  Spanish  history  informs  us,  usurpers, 
having  come  from  the  north,  from  a  country  which  they  called 
Azlalan. 

This  country  of  Aztalan,  Baron  Humboldt  says,  "  we  must  look 
for  at  least  north  of  the  42d  degree  of  latitude."  He  comes  to  this 
conclusion  from  an  examination  of  the  Mexican  or  Azteca  manu- 
scripts, which  were  maue  of  a  certain  kind  of  leaves,  and  of  skins 
prepared  ;  on  which,  an  account  in  painted  hieorgiyphics  or  pic- 
tures, was  given  of  their  migration  from  Aztalan  to  Mexico,  and 
how  long  they  halted  at  certain  places,  which,  in  the  aggregate, 
amounts  to  "  four  hundred  and  sixteen  years." 

The  following  names  of  places  appear  on  their  account  of  their 
joumeyings,  at  which  places  they  made  less  or  more  delay,  and 
built  towns,  forts,  tumuli,  &c.  .,  .  ^    „  _  •    .,rr 

1st.  A  place  of  Humiliation,  and  a  place  of  Grottoes.  It  would 
seem  at  this  place  they  were  much  afflicted  and  humbled  ;  but  in 
what  manner  is  not  related  ;  and  also  at  this  place,  from  the  term 


190 


AMERICAN  AMTIQUITIE8 


grottoe$f  that  it  was  a  place  of  cavenis  and  dens,  probably  where 
they  at  first  hid,  dwelt,  till  they  built  a  town,  and  cleared  the 
ground.  Here  they  built  the  places  which  they  called  Tocalco  and 
Oztatan. 

2d  Journey,  they  stopped  at  a  place  o{  fruit  trees;  probably 
meaning,  m  it  was  farther  south,  a  place  where  nature  was  abun- 
dant in  nuts,  grapes,  and  wild  fruit  trees.  Here  they  built  a  mound 
or  tumuli,  and,  in  their  language,  it  is  called  a  Teocali.      '"'  r  *- ' 

3d  Journey ;  when  they  stopped  at  a  place  of  herbt^  with  broad 
leaves ;  probably  meaning  a  place  where  many  succulent  plants 
grew,  denoting  a  good  soil ;  which  invited  them  to  pitch  their  tents 
here. 

^  4th  Journey ,  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  human  bonea  ;  where 
they,  either  during  their  stay  had  battles  with  each  other,  or  with 
some  enemy,  or  they  may  have  found  them  already  there,  the  re- 
lics of  other  nations  before  them ;  for,  according  to  Humboldt,  this 
migration  of  the  Aztecas,  too^:  place  A.  D.  778  ;  so  that  other  na> 
tions  certainly  had  preceded  them,  also  fron:<  the  north. 

5th  Journey  ;  they  came  to  a  place  of  Eagles.  ' 

i  6th  Journey ;  to  a  place  of  precious  stones,  and  minerab.        *    ' 

7th  Journey  ;  to  a  place  of  spinning,  where  they  manufactured 
clothing  of  cotton,  barks,  or  of  something  proper  for  clothing  of  some 
sort,  and  mats  of  rushes  and  feathers. 

8th  Journey ;  they  came  to  another  place  of  eagles,  called  the 
Eagle-mountain,  or  in  their  own  language,  Quauktli  Tepee :  Te- 
pee, says  Humboldt,  in  the  Turkish  language,  is  the  word  for  moun- 
tain ;  which  two  words  are  so  near  alike,  tepee  and  tepe,  that  it 
would  seem  almost  an  Arab  word,  or  a  word  used  by  the  Turks. 

9th.  Journey;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  walls,  and  the  se- 
ven grottoes  ;  which  shows  the  place  had  been  inhabited  before, 
and  these  seven  grottoes  were  either  caves  in  the  earth,  or  were 
made  in  the  side  of  some  mountain,  by  those  who  had  preceded 
them.  •■•■  ■  •  •      '  '  "-  ^■•^■^"'•■'■'   ^■'•>'    '^ 

,'  10th  Journey;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  thistles,  sand  au^ 
vultures. 

11th  Journey ;  when  they  came  to  a  place  of  Obsideon  Mirrors, 
which  is  much  the  same  with  that  of  Isinglass,  scientifically  called 
micae  membranacae.  This  mineral  substanne  is  frequently  found 
in  the  tumuli  of  the  west,  and  is  called,  by  the  Mexicans,  the  shin- 


-rv/^rr  ■ 


'^} 


AND  DISCOVfitUES  IN  THE  IVESt. 


idi 


tiujf  god.    The  obsideon  stoue,  however,  needs  polishiog,  before  it 
will  uiswer  as  a  mirror. 

12th  Journey ;  came  to  a  place  of  water,  probably  some  lake,  or 
beautiful  fountains,  which  invited  their  residence  there ;  ou  the  ac- 
count not  only  of  the  water,  but  for  fishing  and  game,    ^o  '-^  ;>   0 

13th  Journey ;  they  came  to  the  place  of  the  Divine  Monketff 
called,  in  their  own  language,  TeozcmuKo.  Here,  it  would  seem, 
they  set  up  the  worship  of  the  monkey,  or  baboon,  as  the  ancient 
Egyptians  are  known  to  have  done.  This  animal  is  found  in  Mex* 
ico  or  New-Spain,  according  to  Humboldt. 

14th  Journey ;  when  they  came  to  a  high  mountain,  probably 
with  table  lands  on  it ;  which  they  called  Chopalttpec^  or  mountain 
of  locusts.  A  place,  says  Baron  Humboldt,  celebrated  for  the  mag-* 
nificent  view  from  the  top  of  this  hill ;  which,  it  appears,  is  in  the 
Mexican  country,  and  probably  not  far  from  the  vale  of  Mexico ; 
where  they  finally  permanent' 7  rested. 

15th  Journey  ;  when  they  came  to  the  vale  of  Mexico ;  having 
here  met  with  the  prodigy,  or  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  or  oracle, 
which  at  their  outset  from  the  country  of  Aztalan,  Huehuetlapallan, 
and  Amaquemecau  ;  which  was  (see  Humboldt,  2d  vol.  p.  185,) 
that  the  migrations  of  the  Aztecks  should  not  terminate  till  the 
chiefs  of  the  nation  should  meet  with  an  Eagky  perched  on  a  cactus 
tree;  at  such  a  place  they  might  found  a  city.  This  was,  as  their 
bull-hide  books  inform  us,  in  the  vale  of  Mexico. 

We  have  related  this  account  of  the  Azteca  migration  from  the 
country  of  Aztalan,  Huehuetlapallan,  and  Amaquemecan,  from  the 
regions  of  north  latitude  42  degrees,  merely  to  show  that  the  coun- 
try, provinces,  or  districts,  so  named  in  their  books,  must  have  been 
the  country,  of  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Illinois,  with  the  whole  region 
thereabout ;  for  these  are  not  far  from  the  very  latitude  named  by 
Humboldt  as  the  region  of  Aztalan,  &c. 

The  western  country  is  now  distinguished,  by  the  general  nanie 
of  the  "  lake  country,"  and  why,  because  it  is  a  country  of  lakes ; 
and  for  the  same  reason,  it  was  called  the  Mexicans,  Azteca,  In- 
dians, Aztalan^  because  in  their  language,  atl  is  water,  from  which 
Aztalan  is  doubtless  a  derivitive  as  well  also  as  their  own  name  as 
a  nation,  or  title,  which  was  Astecas^  or  people  of  the  Lakes. 

This  account,  derived  from  the  Mexicans  since  their  reduction 
by  the  Spaniards,  gathered  from  the  researches  of  learned  travel- 


A- 


193 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


lers,  who  have,  for  the  very  purpose  of  learning  the  origin  of  the 
people  of  this  country,  penetrated  not  only  into  the  forest  retreats 
in  the  woods  of  Mexico,  but  into  the  mysteries  of  their  hard  lan- 
gu&,;e,  their  theology,  philosophy  and  astronomy.  This  account  of 
their  migration,  as  related  above,  is  corroborated  by  the  tradition  of 
the  Wyandot  Indians.  > -^  ■' '  ■  i-Jt  •>      " 

"■  We  come  to  a  knowledge  of  this  tradition,  by  the  means  of  a 
Mr.  William  Walker,  some  time  Indian^  agent  for  our  government ; 
who,  it  seems,  from  a  pamphlet  published,  1823,  by  Frederick  Fal- 
ley,  of  Sandusky,  giving  Mr.  Walker's  account  that  a  great  many 
hundred  years  ago  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  who  were 
the  authors  of  the  great  works  of  the  west,  were  driven  away  from 
their  country  and  possessions,  by  barbarous  and  savage  hordes  of 
warriors,  who  came  from  the  north  and  northeast ;  before  whose 
power  and  skill  in  wsu*,  they  were  compelled  to  flee,  and  went  to 
the  south. 

After  having  been  there  many  hundred  years,  a  runner  came 
back  into  the  same  country,  from  whence  these  ancient  people  had 
been  driven,  which  we  suppose  is  the  very  country  of  Aztalan,  or 
the  region  of  the  western  states ;  bringing  the  intelligence  that  a 
dreadful  beast  had  landed  on  their  cbast  along  the  sea,  which  was 
spreading  among  them  havoc  and  death,  by  means  of  fire  and  thun- 
der ;  and  that  it  would,  no  doubt,  travel  all  over  the  country,  for 
the  same  purpose  of  destruction. 

This  beast  whose  voice  was  like  thunder,  and  whose  power  to 
kill,  was  like  fire,  we  have  qo  doubt,  represents  the  cannon  and 
small  arms  of  the  Spaniards,  when  they  first  commenced  the  mur> 
der  of  the  ancient  people  of  South  America,  many  tribes  or  nations 
of  which  were,  from  time  to  time,  derived  from  the  northern  part 
of  our  continent,  long  before  the  northern  hordes  devastated  the 
country  of  Aztalan,  Huchuetlapan,  and  Amaquemecan,  and  with 
good  reason,  believed  to  be  from  Asia ;  of  Tartar,  Hebrew,  and 
Scythi  -1  origin  ;  from  their  dreadful  propensity  to  war  and  blood- 
shed, which  is  still  characteristic  of  our  northern  and  western  In- 
dians. :5  (  ;>  ,  "JM!'^'/  ;  I,-  <,'-■  "  '■•  '  '■'■■' 
■■     .w:*.3  Sl^'»  '■•''^'  V;:  <      :.     -                  ■      ••  •-  ■               '     ^  '■  "•    ■'-    "    ^'■>^-' 

.fi%.;-j  -..:;  ■•;;•..■:  .         ■  ■■'■ 


';<.    tV   r-"-'^' 


[■  (■.-<:. 


.;•      .'»  i.'  i-,i-  U'**  *VV5     ' 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


108 


SUPPOSED  USES  OF  THE  ANCIENT  ROADS  CONNECTED  WITH 

THE  MOUNDS. 


Ancient  roads,  or  highways,  which  in  many  parts  of  the  west, 
are  found  walled  in  on  hoth  sides  for  many  miles,  where  the  forest 
trees  are  growing  as  ahundani,  and  as  large  and  aged,  as  in  any 
part  of  the  surrounding  woods. 

We  have  already  mentioned  several  roads  which  have  alwaiy* 
been  found  connected  with  some  great  works ;  as  at  Piketon,  Ports- 
mouth, Newark,  Licking  county,  and  at  the  works  on  the  little  Mi- 
ami river.  These  roads  where  they  have  been  traced,  are  found 
to  communicate  with  some  mound,  or  mountain,  which  had  been 
shaped  by  art  to  suit  the  purposes  of  those  who  originated  these 
stupendous  works.  The  circumstance  of  their  being  wttMed  in  by 
banks  of  earth,  leaving  from  one  to  four  and  six  rods  space  between, 
has  excited  much  inquiry,  as  to  the  reason  and  purposes  of  their 
construction.  But  may  not  this  grand  characteristic  of  the  people 
of  the  west,  in  road  building,  be  illustrated  by  comparing  a  prac- 
tice of  the  Mexicans  with  this  fact.  We  will  show  the  practice, 
and  then  draw  the  conclusion. 

"  The  Mexicans  believed,  according  to  a  very  ancient  tradition, 
that  the  €ud  of  the  world  would  take  place  at  the  termination  of 
every  cycle  of  fifty-two  years ;  that  the  sun  would  no  more  appear 
on  the  horizon,  and  that  mankind  would  be  devoured  by  evil 
genii  of  hideous  appearance,  known  under  the  name  of  Tzitzim- 
imes. 

On  the  last  day  of  this  gr^t  cycle  of  time,  of  fifty-two  years, 
the  sacred  fires  were  extinguished  in  all  their  temples,  and  dwel- 
lings, and  every  where,  all  the  people  devoting  themselves  to  pray- 
er, no  person  daring  to  light  a  fire  at  the  approach  of  the  night ; 
the  vessels  of  clay  were  broken,  garments  torn,  and  whatever  was 
most  precious  was  destroyed,  because  every  thing  appeared  useless 
at  the  tremendous  moment  of  the  last  day.  ; 

Amidst  this  frantic  superstition,  pregnant  women  became  the  ob- 
iects  of  neculiar  horror  to  the  men  :  thev  caused  their  faces  to  he 
hidden  with  masks  made  with  paper  of  the  agave ;  they  were  even 

25 


194 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


imprisoned  in  the  store  houses  of  maize  or  com,  from  a  persuasioD^ 
that  if  the  catastrophe  took  place,  the  xvomen  transformed  into  ti- 
gers, would  make  common  cause  with  the  evil  genii,  and  avenge 
themselves  of  the  injustice  of  the  men. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  grand  procession,  call&u  the  festival 
of  the  new  fire  commenced.  The  priests  took  the  dresses  of  the 
gods,  and  followed  hy  an  immense  crowd  of  people,  went  in  solemn 
train  to  the  mountain  of  Huzachthcatl,  which  was  two  leagues  or 
six  miles  from  Mexico.  This  lugubrious  march  was  called  the 
march  of  the  gods ;  which  was  supposed  to  he  their  final  departure 
from  their  city,  and  possibly  never  to  return ;  in  which  event,  the 
end  of  the  world  was  come. 

When  the  procession  had  reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain, 
it  waited  till  the  moment  when  the  Pleiades,  or  the  seven  stars,  as- 
cended the  middle  of  the  sky,  to  hegin  the  horrible  sacrifice  of  a 
human  victim,  stretched  on  the  stone  of  sacrifice,  having  a  wooden 
disk  on,  the  breast,  which  the  priest  inflames  by  friction.  The  corpse 
after  having  received  a  wound  in  the  breast,  which  extinguished 
life,  while  he  lay,  or  was  held  on  the  fatal  stone,  was  laid  on  the 
ground ;  and  the  instrument  made  use  of  to  produce  fire  by  friction, 
was  placed  on  the  wound,  which  had  been  made  with  a  knife  of 
ot(!sidiaB  stone.  When  the  bits  of  wood,  by  the  rapid  motion  of 
the  cylinder,  or  machine  made  use  of  for  that  purpose,  had  taken 
fire,  an  enormous  pile,  previously  prepared  to  receive  the  body  of 
the  unfortunate  victim,  was  kindled,  the  flames  of  which,  ascend- 
ing' high  into  the  air,  were  seen  at  a  great  distance ;  when  the  vast 
populace  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  surrounding  country,  filled  the 
air  with  joyful  shouts  and  acclamations. 

All  such  as  were  not  able  to  join  in  the  procession,  were  stationed 
on  the  terraces  of  houses,  and  on  the  tops  of  teocallis,  or  mounds, 
and  tumulis,  with  their  eyes  fixed  on  the  spot,  where  the  flame  was 
to  appear :  which,  as  soon  as  it  was  perceived,  was  a  token  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  gods,  and  of  the  preservation  of  mankind,  da- 
ring another  cycle  of  fifty-two  years. 

Messengers  posted  at  proper  distances  from  each  other,  holding 
branches  of  wood,  of  a  very  resinous  pine,  carried  the  new  fire 
from  village  to  village  to  the  distance  of  many  leagues ;  and  depo- 
sited it  anew  in  every  temple,  from  whence  it  was  distributed  to  all 
private  dwellings.      When  the  sun  appeared  on  the  horizon,  the 


1  ■■( 


AND  DIlCOVERIKt  IN  THE  WEIT. 


19S 


•boutiag  was  redoubled,  the  procession  went  back  from  the  moun- 
tain to  the  city,  and  they  thought  they  covld  see  their  gods  also  re- 
turning to  their  sanctuaries.  .  ^'-^/^v.  »,  ;<j   <  i?< 

The  women  were  then  released  from  their  prisons,  every  one  put 
on  a  new  dress,  the  temples  were  whitewashed,  their  household 
furniture  renewed,  their  plate,  and  whatever  was  necessary  for  do- 
mestic use.  "  This  secular  festival,  this  apprehension  of  the  sun 
being  extinguished  at  the  epoch  of  the  winter  solstice,  seems  to 
present  a  new  instance  of  analogy  between  the  Mexicans  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Egypt.  When  the  Egyptians  saw  the  sun  descend 
from  the  Crab  towards  Capricorn,  and  the  days  gradually  grow 
shorter,  they  were  accustomed  to  sorrow,  from  the  apprehension 
that  the  sun  was  going  to  abandon  the  earth,  but  when  the  orb  be- 
gan to  return,  and  the  duration  of  the  days  grew  longer,  they  robed 
themselves  in  white  garments,  and  crowned  themselves  with  &ovr- 
ers.''^— Humboldt,  380,  384. 

This  Mexican  usage  may  have  been  practiced  by  the  people  of 
the  west,  as  the  roads  would  seem  to  justify,  leading  as  they  do, 
either  to  some  mountain  prepared  by  art, or  to  some  mound:  and  as 
these  processions  took  place  in  the  night,  so  that  the  Pleiades,  or 
seven  stars  might  be  seen,  it  was  necessary  that  the  roads  should  be 
walled  as  a  defence  against  an  enemy,  who  might  take  advantage 
under  cover  of  the  night. 

After  having  examined  these  accounts  of  the  ancient  works  nf 
the  west,  it  is  natural  to  ask,  who  their  authors  were  :  this  can  be 
answered  only  by  comparison  and  conjecture,  more  or  less  upheld, 
as  circumstances,  features,  manners,  and  customs,  of  the  nations, 
many  resemble  each  other.  .  ,:.-..-:-.     '   i 

"  If  we  look  into  the  Bible,  we  shall  therg  learn,  that  mankind, 
soon  after  the  deluge,  undertook  to  raise  a  tower,  high  as  heaven, 
designed  to  keep  them  together.  But  in  this  attempt  they  were 
disappointed,  and  themselves,  dispersed  throughout  the  world.  Did 
they  forget  to  raise  afterwards,  similar  monuments  and  places  of 
worship }  They  did  not,  and  to  use  the  words  of  an  inspired  wri- 
ter, "  high  places,"  of  various  altitudes  and  dimensions,  were  raised 
on  every  high  hill  throughout  the  land  of  Palestine,  and  all  the  east, 
among  the  pagan  nations.  Some  of  these  "  high  places  "  belonged 
to  single  families,  some  to  mighty  chieftians,  a  petty  tribe,  a  city, 
or  a  whole  nation.     At  those  "  high  places,"  belonging  to  great  ua- 


f'*' 


i^ 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


it 


tions,  great  national  afifaira  were  transacted.  Here  they  crowned 
and  deposed  their  kings ;  here  they  concluded  peace,  and  declared 
war,  and  worshipped  their  gods. 

The  Jews,  on  many  great  occasions,  assembled  at  Gilgal ;  which 
word  signifies  "  an  heap"  Shiloh,  where  the  Jews  frequently  as- 
sembled to  transact  great  national  affairs,  and  perform  acts  of  devo7 
tion,  was  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  When  this  was  forsaken,  the 
loftier  hill  of  Zion  was  selected  in  its  stead ;  upon  Sinai's  awfuV 
summit  the  law  of  God  was  promulgated.  Solomon's  temple  was 
rituated  upon  a  high  hill,  by  Divine  appointment.  Samaria,  a  place 
icelebrated  for  the  worship  of  idols,  was  built  upon  the  high  hill  of 
Shemer,  by  Omri,  one  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  who  was  buried 
there.  How  many  hundreds  of  mounds  in  this  country,  are  situa- 
ted on  the  highest  hills,  surrounded  by  the  most  fertile  soils. 

*'  Traverse  the  counties  of  Licking,  Franklin,  Pickaway,  and 
Ross ;  examine  the  loftiest  mounds,  and  compare  them  with  those 
described  in  Palestine,  and  a  conviction  will  remain,  that  as  in  the 
earliest  ages,  men  preferred  the  summit  of  the  highest  mountains, 
80  a  love  of  the  same,  as  a  memorial  of  ancestry,  would  influence 
posterity  to  the  like  custom. 

But  the  most  extraordinary  mound  we  have  heard  of,  is  mention- 
ed in  Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Travels  in  the  west.  It  is  called  Mount 
Jolietj  and  is  situated  on  the  river  Des  Plains,  one  of  the  head  wa- 
ter rivers  of  the  Illinois.  Its  situation  is  such  as  to  give  its  size  its 
fullest  effect,  being  on  a  level  country  with  no  hill  in  sight  to  form 
a  contrast.  Its  height  is  sixty  feet,  or  nearly  four  rods  perpendicu- 
lar, its  length  eighty-four  rods,  its  width  fourteen,  and  is  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-six  rods  in  circumference  on  its  top,  but  conside- 
rably larger  measuring  round  the  base.  It  has  been  remarked  by 
Dr.  Beck,  that  this  is  probably  the  largest  mound  within  the  limits 
of  the  United  ^ates. 

This  mound  is  built  on  the  horizontal  lime  stone  stratum  of  the 
secondary  formation,  and  is  fronted  by  the  beautiful  lake  Joliet, 
which  is  but  fifteen  miles  long,  furnishing  the  most  "  noble  and 
picturesque  spot  in  all  America."  SchoolcrqfU  This  mound  con- 
sists of  eighteen  million  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  solid  feet 
of  earth.  How  long  it  must  have  been  in  being  builded,  is  more 
than  can  be  made  out.  as  the  number  of  men  emnloved.  and  the  fa- 
cilities  to  carry  on  the  work,  are  unknown. 


I 


\  '*'■ 


"FT' 


r 


••.'•  ^TVi^" 


/■•"■ 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


197 


In  Englana,  Scotland,  and  in  Wales,  they  are  thus  situated.  At 
Inch-Tuthel,  on  the  river  Tay,  there  is  a  mound  which  resembles 
ours  on  the  Licking,  near  Newark.  The  camp  at  Comerie  is  on  a 
water  of  Ruchel,  situated  on  a  high  alluvion,  like  ours  in  the  west. 
The  antiquities  of  Ardoch  are  on  a  water  Kneck,  their  walls,  ditch- 
es, gateways,  mounds  of  defence  before  them,  and  every  thing 
about  them,  resemble  our  works  of  this  charaoter  in  America. 

What  Pennant,  in  his  Antiquarian  Researches  in  the  north  of 
Europe,  calls  a  prcetoritan,  is  exactly  like  the  circular  works  round 
our  mounds,  when  placed  within  walls  of  earth.  Catter-thun,  two 
miles  from  Angus,  is  ascribed  to  the  ancient  Caledonians,  or  Scotch. 
Such  works  are  very  common  in  Ohio.  One  on  the  river  Loden, 
or  Lowthe,  and  another  near  the  river  Emet,  are  exactly  like  those 
in  the  west.  The  strong  resemblance  between  the  works  in  Scot- 
land and  those  of  the  west,  I  think,  says  Mr.  Atwater,  no  man  will 
deny.  In  various  parts  of  the  British  isles,  as  well  as  England, 
Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales,  are  abundance  of  those  works,  which 
were  places  of  worship,  burial,  and  defence,  built  by  the  ancient 
Picts,  so  called  by  the  Romans,  because  they  painted  themselves, 
like  the  aborigines  of  this  country. 

At  a  very  early  period  of  the  globe,  a  small  mound  of  earth  serv- 
ed as  a  sepulchre  and  an  altar,  whereon  the  officiating  priest  could 
be  seen  by  the  surrounding  worshippers.  Such  sacred'works  may 
be  traced  from  Wales  to  Russia,  quite  across  that  empire  north,  to 
our  continent ;  and  then  across  this  continent,  from  the  Columbia 
on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  the  Black  River,  on  the  east  end  of  Lake 
Ontario  ;  thence  turning  in  a  southwestern  direction,  we  find  them 
extending  quite  to  the  southern  parts  of  Mexico  and  Peru. 

"  If  there  exists,"  says  Dr.  Clarke,  "  any  thing  of  former  times 
which  may  afford  evidence  of  antediluvian  manners,  it  is  this  mode 
of  burial ;  which  seems  to  mark  the  progress  of  population  in  the 
first  ages  after  the  dispersion,  occasion  by  the  confusion  of  lan- 
guages, at  Babel. 

Whether  under  the  form  of  a  mound  in  Scandinavia  and  Russia,  a 
barrow  in  England,  or  cairn  in  Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales,  or 
heaps  of  earth,  which  the  modern  Greeks  and  Turks  call  Tepe,  and 
the  Mexicans,  Tepee,  and  lastly,  in  the  more  artificial  shape  of  a 
pyramid  in  Egypt :  they  had  universally  the  same  origin." 

Here  we  have  the  unequivocal  opinion  of  a  man,  who  has  scarce- 


p. 


I«S 


AMERICAN  ANTlQVITIEf 


Jy  his  fellow  in  the  present  generation,  respecting  a  knowledge  of 
the  ancient  manners  of  mankind ;  who  says  that  the  tumuli,  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  earth,  belong  solely  to  the  age  immediately  sue- 
needing  Noah's  flood  ;  which  greatly  favors  our  opinion,  that  this 
country  was  settled  as  early  as  the  other  parts  of  the  earth,  which 
are  at  as  great  a  distance  from  Mount  Ararat. 

But  what  is  the  distance  from  Mount  Ararat,  by  way  of  Bhering's 
Strait,  to  the  middle  of  the  United  States,  which  is  the  region  of 
the  Missouri  ?  It  is  something  over  ten  thousand  miles  ;  nearly  half 
the  circuit  of  the  globe.  Here,  in  the  region  of  the  Western  States, 
we  have,  by  the  aid  of  Baron  Humboldt,  supposed  the  country  of 
Aztalan  was  situated ;  where  the  great  specimens  of  labor  and  an- 
cient manners,  are  most  abundant.  If  this  was  the  way  the  first 
people  came  into  America,  it  is  very  clear  they  could  not  have,  in 
the  ordinary  way  of  making  a  settlement  here,  and  a  settlement 
there,  have  arrived  soon  enough,  to  show  signs  of  as  gr^at  antiqui- 
ty, in  their  works  in  America,  as  those  of  the  same  sort,  found  in 
the  north  of  Europe.  Some  other  way,  therefore,  we  are  confident, 
the  first  inhabitants  must  have  pursued,  so  that  their  works  in 
America,  might  compare,  in  character  and  antiquity,  with  those  of 
other  nations.  From  Ararat,  in  a  westerly  course,  passing  through 
Europe,  by  way  of  the  countries  now  situated  in  Russia  in  Europe, 
to  the  Atlantic,  the  distance  is  scarcely  five  thousand  miles  ;  not 
half  the  distance  the  route  of  Bhering's  Strait  would  have  been. 
And  if  the  Egyptian  tradition  be  true,  respecting  the  island  Ata- 
lantis,  and  the  conjectures  of  naturalists  about  a  union  of  Europe 
and  America  on  the  north,  there  was  nothittg  to  hinder  their  settling 
here,  immediately  after  their  dispersion. 

It  is  supposed  the  first  generations  immediately  succeeding  the 
flood,  were  much  more  enlightened  than  many  nations  since  that 
period  ;  the  reason  is,  they  had  not  yet  forgotten  that  which  they 
had  learned  of  the  manners  of  their  antediluvian  ancestry  from  No- 
ah ;  but  as  they  spread  and  diverged  asunder,  what  they  had  learn- 
ed from  him  concerning  the  creation,  architecture,  and  the  culture 
of  the  earth  before  the  fiood,  they  lost,  and  so  retrograded  to  sa- 
vagism. 

It  is  true,  the  family  of  Shem,  of  whom  were  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  by  the  particular  providence  of  God,  retained,  unadul- 
iuraied,  the  traditional  history  of  the  creation,  and  of  man,  till  the 


AND   DIICOTERICI   IJN  TBK    WEST. 


199 


time  Moses  embodied  it  in  a  book,  eigbt  hundred  and  fifty-seyen 
years  after  the  flood.  But  the  rest  of  the  nations  were  left,  in  this 
respect,  to  mere  recollections,  v^hich,  as  soon  as  they  divided  and 
subdivided,  became  contradictory  and  monstrous.       '    .'''if'>»* 

But  the  authors  of  the  great  works  found  in  the  west,  seem  to 
have  retained  the^s^  ideas  recei>  ad  from  their  fathers  at  the  era 
of  the  building  of  Babel,  equally,  if  not  superior,  to  many  nations  of 
Europe,  as  they  were  in  the  year  eight  hundred  after  Christ.  Thi» 
is  consented  to  on  all  hands,  and  even  contended  for  by  the  histo« 
rian  Humboldt-  In  order  to  shew  the  reader  the  propriety  of  be- 
lieving that  a  colony,  very  soon  after  the  confusion  of  the  language 
of  mankind,  found  their  way  to  what  is  now  called  America,  we 
give  the  tradition  of  the  Azteca  nation,  who  once  inhabited  Axta* 
Ian,  the  country  of  the  western  states,  but  were,  at  the  era  of  the 
conquest  of  South  America,  found  inhabiting  the  vale  of  Mexico^ 
because  they  had,  as  we  have  shown,  been  driven  away  by  the  ir- 
ruptions of  the  Tartarian  Indians,  as  follows  : 
.  -fl  ■■^.'         -.'.•-■■:''•'    ''■;,'    .■■    "■•    '     •  .  ■■  '■:■"'   '■■  vfJ 


.'  ^{'^--j 


TRAITS  OF  THE   MOSAIC  HISTORY  FOUND  AMONG  THE  AZ* 

T£CA  NATIONS. 


.-■\':* 


The  tradition  commences  with  an  account  of  the  deluge,  as  they 
had  preserved  it  in  books  made  of  the  buffalo  and  deer  skin,  on 
which  account  there  is  more  certainty  than  if  it  had  been  preserved 
by  mere  oral  tradition,  handed  down  from  father  to  son. 

They  begin  by  painting,  or  as  we  would  say,  by  telling  as  that 
Noah,  whom  they  call  Tezpi,  saved  himself,  with  his  wife,  whom 
they  call  Xochiquetzal,  on  a  raft  or  canoe.  Is  not  this  the  ark  ?— - 
The  raft  or  canoe  rested  on  or  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  which  they 
call  Colhuacan ;  is  not  this  Arara^.'  The  men  burn  after  this  deluge 
were  born  dumb  \  is  not  this  the  confusion  of  language  at  Babel  ? 
A  dove  from  the  top  of  a  tree  .distributes  languages  to  them  in  the 
form  of  an  olive  leaf;  is  not  this  the  dove  of  Noah,  which  returned 
with  that  leaf  in  her  mouth,  as  related  in  Genesis  i  They  say  that 
on  this  raft,  beside  Tezpi  and  his  wife,  were  several  childreny  and 


■if 


MO 


AMKRICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


:|  •: 


! 


•nimiilt,  with  grain,  the  preservation  of  which  was  of  importance 
to  mankind^,  is  not  this,  in  almost  exact  accordance  with  what  wm 
sayed  in  the  ark  with  Noah,  as  stated  in  Genesis. 

When  the  great  spirit,  Tezcatlipoca,  ordered  the  waters  to  with- 
draw, Tezpi  sent  out  from  his  raft  a  vulture j  which  never  retured, 
on  account  of  the  great  quantities  of  dead  carcasses  which  it  found 
to  feed  upon ;  is  not  this  the  raren  of  Noah,  which  did  not  return 
when  it  was  sent  oat  the  second  time,  for  the  very  .<;ason  here  as- 
signed by  the  Mexicans  ?  Teiq)i  sent  other  birds,  one  of  which 
was  the  humming  bird;  this  bird  alone  returned,  holding  in  its 
beak  a  branch  covered  with  leaves ;  is  not  this  the  dove  ?  Tezpi 
seeing  that  fresh  verdure  now  clothed  the  earth,  quitted  his  raft 
near  the  mountain  Colhuacan  ;  is  not  this  an  allusion  to  Ararat  of 
Asia  ?  They  say  the  tongues  which  the  dove  gave  to  mankind, 
were  infinitely  varied ;  which,  when  received,  they  immediately 
dispersed.     But  among  them  there  were  fifteen  heads  or  ckiefo  of 
families,  which  were  permitted  to  speak  the  same  language,  and 
these  were  the  Taltecks,  the  Aculhucans,  and  Azteca  nations,  who 
embodied  themselves  together,  which  was  very  natural,  and  travel- 
ed, they  knew  not  where,  but  at  length  arrived  in  the  country  of 
Aztalan,  or  the  lake  country. 

The  plate  or  engraving  presented  here,  is  a  surprising  represent- 
ation of  the  Deluge  of  Noah,  and  of  the  Confusion  of  the  Ancient 
Language,  at  the  building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  as  i^lated  in  the 
Book  of  Genesis,  see  chap.  7  and  11. 

We  have  derived  the  subject  of  this  plate  from  Baron  Humboldt's 
volume  of  Researches  in  Mexico,  who  found  it  painted  on  a  manu- 
script book,  made  of  the  leaves  of  some  kind  of  tree,  suitable  for 
the  purpose,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancient  nations  of  the  sultry 
parts  of  Asia,  around  the  Mediterranean. 

Among  the  vast  multitude  of  painted  representations  found  by 
this  author,  on  the  books  of  the  natives,  made  also  frequently  of 
prepared  skins  of  animals,  were  d<'Uneated  all  the  leading  circum- 
stances and  history  of  the  deluge,  of  the  fall  of  man,  and  of  the  se- 
duction of  the  woman  by  the  means  of  the  serpent,  the  first  murder, 
as  perpetrated  by  Cain,  on  the  person  of  his  brother  Abel. 

The  plate,  however,  here  presented,  shows  no  more  than  a  pic- 
ture of  the  flood,  with  Noah  afloat  on  a  raft,  or  as  the  traditions  of 
some  of  the  nations  say,  on  a  tree,  a  canoe  and  some  say  even  in  a 


npt 


'^Kih'. 


-'      V 


tr 


I  • 


\*    r 


m 


«?'. 


*  t$l 


^'■j 


'  *(     'l^  ^ 


i*    * 


•'i*',^ 


-*.' 


''h 


»- 


f  ■'  — - 


I 


iil 


■■i- 


i^« 


*4  1 


4 


M  ■# 


AND   DIseOVIRlEI   IN   THB   WEST. 


201 


I  \ 


vcfwel  of  huge  dimensions.  It  also  shows,  by  the  group  of  men 
spproaching  the  bird,  a  somewhat  obscure  history  of  the  confusion 
of  the  ancient  language,  at  ihi  building  of  Babel,  by  representing 
them  as  being  born  duniH,  who  rjc  've  the  gift  of  speech  from  a 
dove,  which  flutters  in  the  oranches  of  the  trep,  while  she  presents 
the  languages  to  the  mute  throng,  by  bestowing  upon  (  noh  indivi- 
dual a  leaf  of  the  tree,  which  is  abown  in  the  form  of  small  com- 
mas suspended  from  its  beak. 

The  circumstance  of  their  being  bom  dumb,  points  out  as  cleai- 
ly  \u  tradition  can  be  expected  to  do,  the  confusion  of  language  ; 
a.  being  dumb  is  equivalent  to  their  not  being  able  to  converse 
with  each  other,  or  their  not  being  able  to  converse,  was  equivdent 
to  their  being  bom  dumb. 

Among  the  different  nations,  according  to  Humboldt,  who  inha- 
bited Mexico,  were  found  paintings  which  represented  the  deluge, 
or  the  flood  of  Tezpi.  The  same  person  among  the  Chinese  is 
called  Fohi  and  Vu-tif  which  is  strikingly  similar  to  the  Mexi- 
can Tezpif  in  which  they  show  how  he  saved  himself,  and  his  wife, 
in  a  bark,  or  some  say,  in  a  canoe,  others,  on  a  raft,  which  they 
call,  in  their  language,  a  huahuate.  '  ■  , 

The  painting,  of  which  the  plate  is  the  representation,  shows 
Tezpi,  or  Noah,  in  the  midst  of  the  waters,  lying  on  his  back.  The 
mounf"'i,f  the  summit  of  \\rhich  is  crowned  by  a  tree,  and  riiies 
above  the  waters,  is  the  peak  of  Colhucan,  the  Ararat  of  the  Mexi- 
cans. The  hom  which  is  represented  on  the  hieroglyphic,  is  the 
mountain  Colhucan.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  on  each  side, 
appear  the  heads  of  Noah  and  his  wife.  The  woman  is  known  by 
the  two  points  extending  up  from  her  fprehead,  which  is  the  uni- 
versal designation  of  the  female  sex  amohg  the  Mexicans. 

In  the  figure  of  the  bird,  with  the  leaves  of  a  tree  in  its  beak,  is 
shown  the  circumstance  of  the  dove's  return  to  the  Ark,  when  it 
had  been  sent  out  the  second  time,  bringing  a  branch  of  the  olive 
in  its  mouth  ;  but  in  their  tradition  it  had  become  misplaced,  and 
is  made  the  author  of  the  languages.  That  birds  have  a  language^ 
was  believed  by  the  nations  of  the  old  world.  Some  of  those  na- 
tions retain  a  surprising  traditional  account  of  the  deluge  ;  who  say 
that  Noah  embarked  in  a  spacious  acalli  or  boat,  with  his  wife,  his 
children,  several  animals,  and  grain,  the  preservation  of  which  was 
of  great  importance^to  mankind.  When  the  Great  Spirit,  Tezcat- 
.'"      *  26 


I 


'i'4 


202 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


mM< 


lipoca,  ordered  the  waters  to  withdraw,  Tezpi,  or  Noah,  sent  out 
from  his  boat  a  vulture.  But  as  the  bird's  natural  food  was  that  of 
dead  carcasses,  it  did  not  return,  on  account  of  the  great  number 
of  those  carcasses  with  which  the  earth,  now  dried  in  some  places, 
abounded. 

Tezpi  sent  out  other  birds,  one  of  which  was  the  humming  bird  ; 
this  bird  alone  returned  again  to  the  boat,  holding  in  its  beak  a 
branch,  covered  with  leaves.  Tezpi  now,  knowing  that  the  earth 
was  dry,  being  clothed  with  fresh  verdure,  quitted  his  bark  near  the 
mountain  Colhucan,  which  is  equivalent  to  that  of  Ararat. 

The  purity  of  this  tradition  is  evidence  of  two  things:  1st,  that  the 
book  of  Genesis,  as  written  by  Moses,  is  not  as  some  have  imagin- 
ed, a  cunningly  devised  fable,  as  these  Indians  cannot  be  accused 
of  Christian  priestcraft,  nor  yet  of  Jewish  priestcraft,  their  religion 
being  solely  of  another  cast,  wholly  idolatrous.  And  second,  that 
the  continents  of  America,  Africa,  and  Asia,  were  anciently  united, 
so  that  the  earlier  nations  came  directly  over  after  the  c<mfusion  of 
the  ancient  language  and  dispersion— on  which  account  its  purity 
has  been  preserved  more  than  among  the  more  wandering  tribes  of 
the  old  continents. 

As  favoring  this  idea,  of  their  coming  immediately  from  the  re- 
gion of  the  tower  of  Babel,  their  tradition  goes  on  to  inform  us,  that 
the  tongues  distributed  by  this  bird  were  infinitely  various,  and 
dispersed  over  the  earth  ;  but  that  it  so  happened  that  fifteen  heads 
of  families  were  permitted  to  speak  the  same  language,  these  are 
the  same  shown  on  the  plate.  These  travelled  till  they  came  to  a 
country  which  they  called  Aztalan,  supposed  to  be  in  the  regions  of 
the  now  United  States,  according  to  Humboldt.  As  favoring  this 
idea,  we  notice  the  word  Aztalan,  signifies  in  their  language,  teaser, 
or  a  country  of  much  water.  Now,  no  country  on  the  earth  better 
suits  this  appellation  than  the  western  country,  on  account  of  the 
vast  number  of  lakes  found  there. 

There  is  another  particular  in  this  group  of  naked,  dumb  hu- 
man beings,  worthy  of  notice,  which  is,  that  neither  their  counte- 
nances nor  form  of  their  persons,  agree  at  all  with  the  countenances 
or  formation  of  the  common  Indians  ;  they  suit  far  better  to  the  face 
of  the  ancient  Britons,  Greeks,  Romans,  Carthagenians  and  Phoe- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST- 


208 


M' 


If  SO,  it  is  evident  that  the  Indians  are  not  the  first  people  who 
found  their  way  to  this  country.  Among  these  ancient  nations  are 
found  many  more  traditions  corresponding  to  the  accounts  given  hy 
Moses,  respecting  the  creation,  the  fall  of  man  by  the  means  of  a  ser- 
pent— the  murder  of  Abel  by  his  brother,  &c.  ;  all  of  which  are 
denoted  in  their  paintings,  as  found  by  the  earlier  travellers  among 
them,  since  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus,  and  carefully 
copied  from  their  books  of  prepared  hides,  which  may  be  called 
parchment,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancients  of  the  earliest  ages- 

We  are  pleased  when  we  find  such  evidence,  as  it  goes  to  the 
establishment  of  the  truth  of  the  historical  parts  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, evidence  so  far  removed  from  the  sceptic's  charge  of  priest- 
craft here  among  the  unsophiscated  nations  of  the  earlier  people  of 
America.  *  . 

Clavigero,  in  his  history  of  Mexico,  says  that  Among  the  Chiap- 
anese  Indians,  was  found  an  ancient  manuscript  in  the  language  of 
that  country,  made  by  the  Indians  themselves,  in  which  it  was  said, 
according  to  their  ancient  tradition,  that  a  certain  person,  named 
Votanf  was  present  at  that  great  building,  which  was  made  by  or- 
der of  his  uncle,  in  order  to  mount  up  to  heaven ;  that  then  every 
people  was  given  its  language,  and  that  Votan  himself  was  charged 
by  God  to  make  the  division  of  the  lands  of  Anahuac — so  Noah  di- 
dived  the  earth  among  his  sons.     Votan  may  have  been  Noah. 

Of  the  ancient  Indians  of  Cuba,  several  historians  of  America 
relate,  that  when  they  were  interrogated  by  the  Spaniards  concern- 
ing their  origin,  they  answered,  they  had  heard  from  their  ances- 
tors that  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  all  things  : 
that  an  old  man  having  foreseen  the  deluge  with  which  God  de- 
signed to  chastise  the  sins  of  men,  built  a  large  canoe  and  embark- 
ed in  it  with  his  family,  and  many  animals  ;  that  when  the  inun- 
dation ceased,  he  sent  out  a  raven,  which,  because  it  found  food 
suited  to  its  nature  to  feed  on,  never  retuned  to  the  canoe  ;  that  he 
then  sent  out  a  pigeon,  which  soon  returned,  bearing  a  branch  of 
the  Hoba  tree,  a  certain  fruit  tree  of  America,  in  its  mouth ;  that 
when  the  old  man  saw  the  earth  dry,  he  disembarked,  and  having 
made  himself  wine  of  the  wood  grape,  he  became  intoxicated  and 
fell  asleep  ;  that  then  one  of  his  sons  made  ridicule  of  his  naked- 
ness, and  that  another  son  piously  covered  him  ;  that  upon  waking 
he  blessed  the  latter  and  cursed  the  former.    Lastly,  these  island- 


204 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


era  h«ld  that  they  had  their  origin  from  the  accursed  son,  and  there- 
fore went  almost  naked  ;  that  the  Spaniards,  as  they  were  clothed, 
descended  perhaps  from  the  other. 

Many  of  the  nations,  says  Clavigero,  of  America,  have  the  same 
tradition,  agreeing  nearly  to  what  we  have  already  related.  It  was 
the  opinion  of  this  author,  that  the  nations  who  peopled  the  Mex- 
ican empire,  helonged  to  the  posterity  of  Naphtuhim — (the  same  we 
imagine,  with  Japheth  ;)  and  that  their  ancestors  having  left  Egypt 
not  long  after  the  confusion  of  the  ancient  language,  travelled  to- 
wards America,  crossing  over  on  the  isthmus,  which  it  is  supposed 
once  united  American  with  the  African  continent,  hut  since  has 
been  beaten  down  by  the  operation  of  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic 
on  the  north,  and  the  Southern  ocean  on  the  south,  or  by  the  ope- 
ration of  earthquakes. 

Now,  we  consider  the  comparative  perfection  of  the  preservation 
of  this  Bible  account,  as  an  evidence  that  the  people  among  whom 
it  was  found  must  have  settled  in  tliis  country  at  a  very  early  pe- 
riod of  time  after  the  flood,  and  that  they  did  not  wander  any  more, 
but  peopled  the  continent,  cultivating  it,  building  towns  and  cities, 
after  their  manner  ;  the  vestiges  of  which  are  so  abundant  to  this 
day  ;  and  on  this  account,  viz.,  their  fixedness,  their  traditionary 
history  was  not  as  liable  to  become  lost,  a.s  it  would  have  undoubt- 
edly been,  had  they  wandered  as  many  other  nations  of  the  old 
world  have,  among  whom  scarcely  a  vestige  of  their  origin  is  found 
of  credible  tradition,  compared  with  this. 

Even  the  Hindoo  nations,  who,  in  their  origin,  wandered  also 
from  Ararat,  have  not,  with  all  their  boasted  refinement  and  anti- 
quity of  origin,  as  clear  an  account  of  the  first  age  of  the  earth,  as 
these  Mexicans.  Btit  there  is  another  additional  reason  for  it,  those 
countries  of  the  east  have  been  frequently  overrun  by  savage  hordes 
from  the  wilds  of  northern  Tartary ;  while  the  ancient  people  of 
this  continent  have  rested  in  peace,  till  similar  hordes  found  their 
way  across,  at  Bhering's  Strait,  in  later  years ;  and,  as  is  believed, 
an  account  of  the  tradition,  both  of  some  of  the  western  tribes,  and 
of  the  Azteca  nations  in  Mexico,  were  driven  from  their  ancient 
possessions. 

If  then  we  believe  that  the  first  people  who  visited  this  country 
did  not  come  here  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strat,  from  Tartary, 
how  then  is  it  that  we  find  such  evident  marks,  in  the  mounds  and 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  TUK   WEST. 


206 


and 


% 


tumuli  of  the  west,  of  the  presence  of  a  Hindoo  population,  as  well 
as  of  other  nations. 

Let  the  tradition  of  the  nations  of  Taltec  and  Azteca  extraction 
in  Mexico,  answer  it.  These  say  that  a  wonderful  personage, 
whom  they  name  Quetzalcoatl^  appeared  among  them,  who  was  a 
white,  and  bearded  man.  This  person  assumed  the  dignity  of  act- 
ing- as  a  priest  and  legislator,  and  became  the  chief  of  a  religious 
sect,  which,  like  the  Songasis  and  the  Boudhists  of  Indostan,  in- 
flicted on  themselves  the  most  cruel  penances.  He  introduced  the 
custom  of  piercing  the  lips  and  ears,  and  lacerating  the  rest  of  the 
body,  with  the  prickles  of  tho  agave  and  leaves,  the  throns  of  the  cac- 
tU8,and  of  putting  reeJs  into  the  wounds,  in  order  that  the  blood  might 
be  seen  to  trickle  more  copiously.  In  all  this,  says  Humboldt,  we 
seem  to  behold  one  of  those  Kishi,  hermits  of  the  Ganges,  whose 
pious  austerity  is  celebrated  in  the  books  of  tho  Hindoos. 

Jewitt,  a  native  of  Boston,  who  lately  died  at  Hartford  Conn-, 
was,  some  few  years  since,  captured  with  the  crew  of  the  vessel 
in  which  he  had  sailed,  by  the  Nootka  Indians,  at  Nootka  Sound, 
on  the  Pacific.  In  his  narrative  of  his  captivity  and  sufferings,  he 
states,  that  those  Indians  had  a  religious  custom,  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  Hindoos,  now  in  use,  about  the  temple  of  Jugernaut, 
in  India ;  which  was,  piercing  their  sides  with  long  rods,  and  leap- 
ing about  while  the  rods  were  in  the  wound. 

Respecting  this  white  and  bearded  man,  much  is  said  in  their 
tradition,  recorded  in  their  books  of  skin,  and  among  other  things, 
that  after  a  long  stay  with  them,  he  suddenly  left  them,  promising 
to  returp  again,  in  a  short  time,  to  govern  them,  and  renew  their 
happiness.  This  person,  named  Tecpaltzin,  resembles,  very  strongs 
ly,  in  his  promise  to  return  again,  the  behavior  of  Lycurgus,  the 
Spartan  Lawgiver,  who,  on  his  departure  from  Lacedemon,  bound 
all  the  citizens  under  an  oath,  both  for  themselves  and  posterity, 
that  they  would  neither  violate  nor  abolish  his  laws  till  his  return 
and  soon  after,  in  the  isle  of  Crete,  put  himself  to  death,  so  that 
his  return  became  impossible. 

It  was  the  posterity  of  this  man,  whom  the  unhappy  Montazuma 
thought  he  recognized  in  the  soldiers  of  Cortez,  the  Spanish  con- 
queror of  Mexico.  "  We  know,"  said  the  unhappy  monarch,  in 
his  first  interview  with  the  Spanish  general,  "  by  our  books,  that 
myself  and  those  who  inhabit  this  country,  are  not  natives  but  stran- 


floe 


AMGKICAK  ANTIQUITIES 


III 


»rii 


gers,  who  came  from  a  great  distance.  We  know,  also,  that  the 
chief  who  led  our  ancestors  hither,"  that  is  to  Aztalan,  "  returned, 
for  a  certain  time,  to  his  primitive  country,  and  thence  came  hack 
to  seek  those  who  were  here  established,"  who  after  a  while,  "  re- 
turned agaia,  alone.  We  always  believed  that  his  descendants 
would  one  day  come  to  take  possession  of  this  country.  Since  you 
arrive  from  that  region  where  the  sun  rises,  I  cannot  doubt,  but  that 
the  king  who  sends  you,  is  our  natural  master." 

This  chief  who  led  the  Azteck  tribes  first  to  Aztalan,  is  called 
Tecpaltzin,  and  seems  to  be  the  person  who  the  monarch  says,  re- 
turned to  his  native  land,  where  the  sun  rises ;  which  is  a  strong 
allusion  to  the  country  of  Babylon,  or  some  part  of  the  old  world, 
obout  the  Mediterranean,  which  is  east  from  Mexico,  where  the 
sun  rises,  the  very  country  where  the  chiefs  of  the  fifteen  tribes, 
speaking  the  same  language  with  himself,  first  received  that  lan- 
guage from  the  bird,  as  before  stated. 

But  Quetzalcoatl,  an  entire  different  character,  appears  among 
them  many  ages  after  their  settlement  at  Mexico,  as  a  religious 
teacher,  who,  Humboldt  says,  resembled  the  Boudhists  or  Bram- 
huns  of  Indostan,  and  the  hermits  of  the  Ganges,  whose  pious  aus- 
terities are  celebrated  in  their  Pauranas,  or  books  of  theology,  and 
that  the  Azteca  tribes,  left  their  country,  Aztalan,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  544  ;  and  wandered  to  the  south  or  southwest,  coming  at  last 
to  the  vale  of  Mexico.  It  would  appear,  from  this  view,  that  as 
the  nations  of  Aztalan,  with  their  fellow  nations,  left  vast  works,  and 
a  vast  extent  of  country,  apparently  in  a  state  of  cultivation,  with 
cities  and  villages,  more  in  number  than  three  thousand,  as  Breck- 
enridge  supposed,  that  they  must,  therefore,  have  settled  here  long 
before  the  Christian  era. 

The  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  Hindoos,  we  are  informed,  were 
commenced  to  be  taught  in  the  east,  among,  what  is  now  called  the 
Hindoo  nations,  by  Zoroaster,  about  the  time  of  Abraham,  1449 
years  before  the  time  of  Confucius,  who  was  born  561  years  before 
Christ ;  so  that  there  was  time  for  those  doctrines  of  Confucius  and 
Zoroaster  to  take  root  in  China,  and  to  become  popular,  and  also  to 
reach  America,  by  Hindoo  missionaries,  and  overspread  these  re- 
gions even  as  early  as  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 
Of  Zoroaster  it  is  said,  that  he  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Me- 


Stan  ID  plain  woras ;  ana  mai  uie 


wise  lucii  ' 


-r  a1-_ A 

VI   luc  cast. 


WhO 


AM)  DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


207 


you 
that 


re- 


saw  his  star,  were  of  his  disciples,  or  seet-  This  doctiine  he  must 
have  learned  of  Shem,  who,  we  have  attempted  to  show,  was  Mel- 
chisedek,  or  of  Abraham,  as  it  had  been  handed  down  from  Adam, 
the  first  of  men.  But  the  peculiar  doctrine  of  Confucius,  which 
was  the  worship  of  fire,  as  well  as  that  of  the  sun  by  Zoroaster,  it 
is  likely,  was  derived  from  the  account  he  found  among  the  ar- 
chives of  the  Jews,  respecting  the  burning  bush  of  Moses,  which 
had  taken  place  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  the  time  of  Con- 
fucius. From  this  originated,  in  all  probability,  as  taught  by  Con- 
fucius, the  burning  of  heroes,  when  dead,  among  many  nations ; 
and  from  this,  that  of  immolating  widows,  as  among  the  Hindoos, 
on  the  funeral  pile,  taught  by  the  Bramhun  missionaries,  who,  un- 
doubtedly, visited  America,  as  it  joins  on  to  Asia  north,  or  as  it 
was  then  possibly  called,  Amaquemecan,  &c-,  and  planted  their  be- 
lief among  these  nations  ;  the  tokens  of  which  appear  so  abundantly 
in  the  mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west. 

And  this  Quetzalcotl,  a  celebrated  minister  of  those  opinions,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  first  who  announced  the  religion  of  the  east 
among  the  people  of  the  west.  There  was  also  one  other  minister^ 
or  Bramhum,  who  appeared  among  the  Mozca  tribes  in  South  Ame- 
rica, whom  they  name  Bochica.  This  personage  taught  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Sun ;  and  if  we  were  to  judge,  should  pronounce  him 
a  missionary  of  the  Confucian  system,  a  worshipper  of  fire,  which 
was  the  religion  of  the  ancient  Persians,  of  whose  country  Confu- 
cius was  a  native.  This  also  is  evidence  that  the  first  inhabitants 
of  America  came  here  at  a  period  near  the  flood,  long  before  that 
worship  was  known,  or  they  would  have  had  a  knowledge  of  this 
Persian  worship,  which  was  introduced  by  Bochica,  among  the 
American  nations  ;  which,  it  seems,  they  had  not,  till  tai.ght  by 
this  man. 

Bochica,  it  appears,  became  a  legislator  among  those  nations, 
and  changed  the  form  of  their  government  to  a  form,  the  cpnstruc- 
tion  of  which,  says  Baron  Humboldt,  bears  a  strong  analogy  to  the 
governments  of  Japan  and  Thibet,  on  account  of  the  pontiffs  hold- 
ing in  their  hands  both  the  secular  and  the  spiritual  reins.  In  Ja- 
pan, an  island  on  the  east  of  Asia,  or  rather  many  islands,  which 
compose  the  Japanese  empire,  is  found  a  religious  sect,  stiled  Sinlo, 
who  do  not  believe  in  the  sanguinary  rites  of  shedding  either  hu- 
man blood,  or  that  of  animals,  to  propitiate  their  gods.    They  even 


208 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


abstain  from  animal  food,  and  detest  bloodshed,  and  ivill  not  touch 
any  dead  body. — Morsels  Geography^  page  522. 

There  is,  in  South  America,  a  whole  nation  who  eat  nothing  but 
vegetables,  and  who  hold  in  abhorrence  those  who  feed  on  flesh. 
— Humboldt,  page  200.  Such  a  coincidence  in  the  religion  of  na- 
tions, can  scarcely  be  supposed  to  exist  unless  they  are  of  one  ori- 
gin. '*  I  am  not  ignorant,  says  Humboldt,  p.  199,  that  the  Tch- 
outsks  annually  crossed  Bhering's  Straits  to  make  war  on  the  inhabit 
tants  of  the  northwest  coast  of  America." 

Therefore,  from  what  we  have  related  above,  and  a  few  pages 
back,  it  is  clear,  both  from  the  tradition  of  the  Aztecas,  who  lived 
in  the  western  regions,  before  they  went  to  the  south,  and  from  the 
fact  that  nations  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  Bhering's  Straits,  having 
come  annually  over  the  Straits  to  fight  with  the  ancient  nations  of 
the  northwest ;  that  we,  in  this  way,  have  given  conclusive  and 
satisfactory  reasons,  why,  in  the  western  mounds  and  tumuli,  are 
found  evident  tokens  of  the  presence  of  a  Hindoo  population,  or  at 
least,  of  nations  influenced  by  the  supersti  ions  of  that  people, 
I  through  the  means  of  missionaries  of  that  cast ;  and  that  they  did 
not  bring  those  opinions  and  ceremonies  with  them  when  they  first 
left  Asia,  after  the  confusion  of  the  antediluvian  language,  as  led 
on  by  their  fifteen  chiefs  ;  till  by  some  means,  and  at  some  period, 
they  finally  found  this  coi'-^'-y ;  not  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Straits, 
but  some  nearer  course,  as  we  have  conjectured  in  other  places  in 
this  work. 

Perhaps  a  few  words  on  the  supposed  lyttive  country  of  Quet- 
zalcotl,  may  be  allowed ;  who,  as  we  have  stated,  is  reported  to 
have  been  a  while  and  bearded  man,  by  the  Mexican  Aztecas. 
There  is  avast  range  of  islands  on  the  northeast  of  Asia,  in  the  Pa- 
cific, situated  not  very  far  from  Bhering's  Straits,  in  latitude  be- 
tween 40  and  50  degrees  north.  The  inhabitants  of  these  islands, 
when  first  discovered,  were  found  to  be  far  in  advance  in  the  arts 
of  civilization,  and  a  knowledge  of  governments,  of  their  continen- 
tal neighbors — the  Chinese  and  Tartars.  The  Island  of  Jesso,  in 
particular,  which,  of  itself,  is  an  empire,  comparatively,  being  very 
populous  ]  and  are  also  higkly  polished  in  their  manners. 

The  inhabitants  may  be  denominated  white  ;  their  women  espe- 
cially, whom  Morse,  in  his  Geography  of  the  islands  of  Japan,  Jesso 


AND  DIICOVERIES  III  THE  WEST. 


209 


and  others  in  that  range,  says  expressly  are  white,  fair  and  mddy. 
Humboldt  says  they  are  a  bearded  race  of  men,  like  Europeans. 

It  appears  the  ancient  government  of  these  islands,  especially 
that  of  Japan,  which  is  neighbor  to  that  of  Jesso,  was  in  the  hands 
of  spiritual  monarchs  and  potifi's,  till  the  17th  century.  As  this 
was  the  form  of  government  introduced  by  Quetzalcotl,  when  h« 
first  appeared  among  the  Azteca  tribes ;  which  we  suppose  was  in 
the  country  of  Aztalau,  or  western  states,  may  it  not  be  conjectured 
that  he  was  a  native  of  some  of  those  islands,  who,  in  his  wander-* 
ings,  had  found  his  way  to  the  place  now  called  Bhering's  Straits  i 
for,  indeed,  anciently  there  may  have  been  only  an  isthmus  at  ^a  t 
place,  and  thence  to  this  country,  on  errands  of  benevolence ;  as  it 
is  said  in  the  tradition  respecting  him,  that  he  preached  peac^ 
among  men,  and  would  not  allow  any  other  offering  to  the  divinity 
than  the  4rst  fruits  of  the  harvest ;  which  doctrine  was  in  character 
with  the  mild  and  amiable  manners  of  the  inhabitants  of  those 
islands. 

And  that  peculiar  and  striking  record,  found  painted  on  the  Mex« 
ican  skin'books,  which  describes  him  to  have  been  a  uMu  and 
bearded  man,  is  our  other  reason  for  supposing  him  to  have  been  • 
native  of  some  of  these  islands,  and  most  probably  Jesso,  rather  than 
any  other  country. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  originated  from  China,  and  with 
them  undoubtedly  carried  the  Persian  doctrines  of  the  worship  of 
the  Sun  and  Fire,  consequently,  we  find  it  taught  to  the  people  of 
Aztalan  and  Mexico,  by  such  as  visited  them  from  China,  or  the 
islands  above  named ;  as  it  is  clear  the  sun  was  not  the  original  ob- 
ject of  adoration  in  Mexico,  but  rather  the  power  which  made  the 
sun;  so  Noah  worshipped. 


* 


•?•  1 


.+   W 


J$      J  ,tl 


s-  iS- 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CEREMONIES  OP  FIRE  WORSHIP,  A|i 
PRACTISED  BY  CERTAIN  TRIBES  ON  THE  ARKANSAS. 


Mr.  Ash  witnessed  an  exhibition  of  fire  worship,  or  the  wor- 
ship of  the  sun,  as  performed  by  a  whole  tribe,  at  the  village  of 

27  V 


210 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


fill' 


Ozark,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ozark,  or  Arkansas  river,  whicfe 
empties  into  the  Mississippi,  from  the  west.         '  '-'  'v  ..--^  -  - 

,  ;  He  says  he  arrived  at  the  village  at  a  very  fortunate  period  ;  at 
a  time  when  it  was  filled  with  Indians  and  surrounded  with  their 
camp.  They  amounted  to  about  nine  hundred,  and  were  composed 
of  the  remnants  of  various  nations,  and  were  worshippers  of  the 
sun.  Thi  second  day  after  his  arrival,  happened  to  be  the  grand 
festival  among  them.  He  had  the  most  favorable  opportunity  6f 
witnessing  their  adorations,  at  three  remarkable  stages ;  the  sun's 
rise,  meridian,  and  setting. 

The  morning  was  propitious,  the  air  serene,  the  horizon  clear,  the 
weather  calm.  The  nations  divided  into  classes  ;  warrior's,  young 
men  and  women,  and  married  men  with  their  children.  Each 
class  stood  in  the  form  of  a  quadrant ;  that  each  individual  might 
behold  the  rising  luminary,  and  each  class  held  up  a  particular  of- 
fering to  the  sun,  the  instant  he  rose  in  his  glory. 

The  warriors  presented  their  arms,  the  young  men  and  womea 
oifered  ears  of  corn  and  branches  of  trees,  and  married  women  held 
up  to  his  light  their  infant  children.  These  acts  were  performed 
in  silence,  till  the  object  of  adoration  visibly  rose  ;  when,  with  one 
impulse,  the  nations  burst  into  praise,  and  sung  an  hymn  in  loud 
chorus.     ,  •  '  '    -  •,  >!iTVf;-     • 

The  lines,  which  were  sung  with  repetitions,  and  marked  by 
pauses,  were  full  of  sublimity  and  judgment.  Their  meaning,  when 
interpreted,  is  as  follows : 

Great  Spirit !  master  of  our  lives,  ' 

Great  Spirit !  master  of  things  visible  and  invisible,  and  who 
daily  makes  them  visible  and  invisible.  .  '    ; 

Great  Spirit  !  master  of  every  other  spirit,  good  or  bad ;  com- 
mand the  good  to  be  favorable  to  us,  and  deter  the  bad  from  the 
commission  of  evil- 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  preserve  the  strength  and  courage  of  our  war- 
riors, and  augment  their  number,  that  they  may  resist  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  Spanish  enemies,  and  recover  the  country,  and  the  rights 
of  our  fathers. 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  preserve  the  lives  of  such  of  our  old  men  as 
are  inclined  to  give  counsel  and  example  to  the  young. 

Preserve  our  children,  multiply  their  number,  and  let  them  be 
the  comfort  and  support  of  declining  age. 


f,  ,<T- 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


211 


Preserve  our  corn  and  our  animals,  and  let  not  famine  desolate 
the  land. 

Protect  our  villages,  guard  our  lives !  Oh  Great  Spirit,  when  you 
hide  your  light  behind  the  western  hills,  protect  uh  from  the  Span- 
iards, who  violate  the  night,  and  do  evil  which  they  dare  not  com- 
mit iu  the  presence  of  your  beams.  ;.  J... 

Good  Spirit !  make  known  to  us  your  pleasure,  by  sending  to  us 
(he  Spirit  of  Dreams.  Let  the  Spirit  of  dreams  proclaim  your  will 
in  the  night,  and  we  will  perform  it  through  the  day ;  and  if  it  say 
the  time  of  some  be  closed,  send  them.  Master  of  Life !  to  the  great 
country  of  souls,  where  they  may  meet  their  fathers,  mothers,  chil- 
dren, and  wives,  and  where  you  are  pleased  to  shine  upon  them 
with  a  bright,  warm,  and  perpetual  blaze !        ; ..        ,     .. ,  ,,.-;, 

Oh  Grand,  Oh  Great  Spirit !  hearken  to  the  voice  of  nationSf 
hearken. to  all  thy  children,  and  remember  us  always,  for  we  are 
descended  Irom  thee. 

Immediately  after  this  address,  the  four  quadrants  formed  one 
immense  circle,  of  several  deep,  and  danced,  and  sung  hymns  de- 
scriptive of  the  power  of  the  sun,  till  near  ten  o'clock.  They  then 
amused  and  refreshed  themselves  in  the  village  and  camp,  but  as- 
sembled precisely  at  the  hour  of  twelve,  and  formed  a  number  of 
<nrcles,  commenced  the  adoration  of  the  meridian  sun.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  literal  translation  of  the  midday  address : 

Courage  !  uations,  courage  !  the  Great  Spirit  looks  down  upon 
us  from  his  highest  seat,  and  by  his  lustre  appears  content  with  the 
children  of  his  own  power  and  greatness.  ^      ,,.  ;.,#»*. 

Grand  Spirit !  how  great  are  his  works,  and  how  beautiful  are 
they  !  How  good  is  the  Great  Spirit.  He  rides  high  to  behold  us. 
'Tis  he  who  causes  all  things  to  augment,  and  to  act.  He  even 
now  stands  for  a  moment  to  hearken  to  us. 

Courage,  nations  !  courage !  The  Great  Spirit,  now  above  our 
heads,  will  make  us  vanquish  our  enemies ;  he  will  cover  our  fields 
with  corn,  and  increase  the  animals  of  our  woods.  ^ 

He  will  see  that  the  old  be  made  happy,  and  that  the  young 
augment.  He  will  make  the  nations  prosper,  make  them  rejoice, 
and  make  them  put  up  their  voice  to  him,  while  he  rises  and  sets 
in  their^  land,  and  while  his  heat  and  light  can  thus  gloriously  shine, 
out.  <>< 


812 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIBI 


This  xvu  followed  by  dancing  and  hymns,  which  continued  from 
two  to  three  houro,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  dinners  were  served 
and  eaten,  with  great  demonitrationi  of  mirth  and  hilarity.  Mr. 
Ash  says,  he  dined  in  a  circle  of  chiefs,  on  a  barbacued  hog,  and 
venison  very  well  stewed,  and  was  perfectly  pleased  with  the 
repast. 

The  dinner,  and  repose  after  it,  continued  till  the  sun  was  on  the 
point  of  setting.  On  this  being  announced  by  several  who  had 
been  on  the  watch,  the  nations  assembled  in  haste,  and  formed 
themselves  into  segments  of  circles,  in  the  face  of  the  sun,  pre- 
senting their  offerings  during  the  time  of  his  descent,  and  crying 
iloud,  "  The  nations  must  prosper ;  they  have  been  beheld  by  the 
Great  Spirit.  What  more  can  they  want }  Is  not  that  happiness 
enough  ?  See,  he  retires,  great  and  content,  after  having  ^  i'^ited  his 
children  with  light  and  universal  good. 

Oh  Grand  Spirit !  sleep  not  long  in  the  gloomy  west,  but  return 
iod  call  your  people  once  again  to  light  and  life,  to  light  and  life, 
to  light  and  life." 
,  This  was  succeeded  by  dances  and  songs  of  praise,  till  eleven 
oMock  at  night ;  at  which  hour  they  repaired  to  rest,  rome  retiring 
to  the  huts  that  formed  their  camp,  and  otl.nrs  to  the  vicinity  of 
fires  made  in  the  woods,  and  along  the  liver's  bank.  Mr.  Ash 
took  up  his  abode  with  a  French  settler  in  the  village.  He  under- 
itoofl  that  these  Indians  have  four  similar  festivals  in  the  year ;  one 
for  every  season. 

When  the  sun  does  not  shine,  or  appear  on  the  adoration  day, 
an  immense  fire  is  erected,  around  which  the  ceremonies  are  per- 
formed with  equal  devotion  and  care." 


<  \ 


ORIGIN  OF  FIRE  WORSHIP. 


For  many  ages  the  false  religions  of  tlit  east  had  remained  sta- 
tionary ;  but  in  this  period,  Magianism  received  considerable 
strength  from  the  writings  of  Zoroaster.  He  was  a  native  of  Me- 
uii.     He  pretenucd  to  a  visit  iu  heaven,  where  God  spake  to  him 


AND    DISCOVERIES   Ilf   TUB   WEST- 


213 


out  of  a  fire.  This  fire  he  pretended  to  bring  with  him,  on  his  re- 
turn. It  was  considered  holy  ;  the  dwelling  of  God.  The  priests 
were  for  ever  to  keep  it,  and  the  people  were  to  worship  before  it. 
He  caused  fire  temples  every  where  to  be  erected,  that  storms  and 
tempests  might  not  extinguish  it.  As  he  considered  God  as  dwell- 
ing in  the  fire,  he  made  tie  sun  to  be  his  chief  residence,  and  there- 
fore the  primary  object  of  worship.  He  abandoned  the  old  system 
of  two  gods,  one  good  and  the  other  evil,  and  taught  the  existc^nce 
of  one  Supreme,  who  had  under  him  a  good  and  evil  angel;  the 
immediate  authors  of  good  and  evil.  To  gain  reputation,  he  retir- 
ed into  a  cave,  and  there  lived  a  long  time  a  recluse,  and  composed 
a  book  called  the  Zend  Avesta,  which  contains  the  liturgy  to  be 
used  in  the  fire  temples,  and  the  chief  doctrines  of  his  religion. 
His  success,  in  propagating  his  system,  was  astonishingly  great. 
Almost  all  the  eastern  world,  for  a  season,  bowed  before  him.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  slain,  with  eighty  of  his  priests,  by  a  Scythian 
prince,  whom  he  attempted  to  convert  to  his  religiou.  It  is  mani- 
fest that  he  derived  his  whole  system  of  God's  dwelling  in  the  fire, 
from  the  burning  bush,  out  of  which  God  spake  to  Moses.  He  was 
well  acquainted  with  the  Jewish  Scriptures.  He  gaye  the  same 
history  of  the  creation  and  deluge  that  Moses  had  given,  and  insert- 
ed a  great  part  of  the  Psalms  of  David  into  his  writings.  The  Me- 
hestani,  his  followers,  believed,  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  in 
future  rewards  and  punishments,  and  in  the  purification  of  the  body 
by  fire,  after  which  they  would  be  united  to  the  good. — Marsh'^a 
Eccleaiaslical  History,  page  78.  - 

From  the  same  origin,  that  of  the  burning  bush,  it  is  altogether 
probable,  the  worship  of  fire,  for  many  ages,  obtained  over  the 
whole  habitable  earth  ;  and  is  still  to  be  traced  in  the  funeral  piles 
of  the  Hindoos,  the  beacou  tires  of  the  Scotch  and  Irish,  the  peri- 
odical midnight  fires  of  the  Mexicans,  and  the  council  fires  of  ,the 
North  American  Indians,  around  nhich  they  dance. 

A  custom  among  the  natives  of  New  Mexico,  as  related  by  Baron 
Humboldt,  is  exactly  imitated  by  a  practice  found  still  in  some  parts 
of  Ireland,  among  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Irish. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  month  of  November,  the  great  fire 
of  Samhuin  is  lit  up,  all  the  culinary  fires  in  the  kingdom  being 
first  extinguished,  as  it  was  deemed  sacrilege  to  awaken  the  win- 
ter's social  flarae,  except  by  a  spark  snatched  from  this  sacred  fire  ; 


m 


AMRRICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


on  which  account,  the  montli  November  is  called,  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, Samhuin. 

To  this  day,  the  inferior  Irish  look  upon  bonfires,  as  sacred ;  they 
say  their  prayers,  walking  round  them  the  young  dream  upon  their 
aahes,  and  the  old  take  this  fire  to  light  up  their  domestic  hearths, 
imagining  some  secret  undefinable  excellence  connected  with  it. 


I..  ■  'i«>  ■  r     v  ■;  -■ 
■  ■   '  •■'...  ■*■■ 


J, I 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTERN  ANTIQUITIES. 


"  I  have  a  brick,"  says  Mr.  Atwater,  "  now  before  me,  over 
which  lay,  when  found,  wood,  ashes,  charcoal,  and  human  bones, 
burnt  in  a  large  and  hot  fire.  And  from  what  was  found  at  Circle- 
ville,  in  the  mound  already  described,  it  would  seem  that  females 
were  sometimes  burnt  with  the  males.  I  need  not  say,  that  this 
custom  was  derived  from  Asia,  as  it  is  well  known,  that  is  the  only 
country  to  look  to  for  the  origin  of  such  a  custom.  The  Greeks 
and  Romans  practised  burning  their  illustrious  dead ;  it  was  prac- 
tised by  several  other  nations,  but  they  all  derived  it  from  Asia. 

In  Dr.  Clarke's  volume  of  Travels  from  St.  Petersburgh  to  the 
Crimea,  in  the  year  1800  ;  and  in  his  Travels  in  Russia,  Tartary, 
and  Turkey,  it  is  said,  conical  mounds  of  earth,  or  tumuli,  occur 
very  frequently.  The  most  remarkable  may  be  seen  between  Ye- 
zolbisky  and  Voldai,  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  they  continue 
over  the  whole  country,  from  the  latter  place  to  Jedrova,  and  finally, 
over  the  whole  Russian  empire.  The  author  of  the  travels  above 
alluded  to,  says,  ^"  There  are  few  finer  prospects  than  that  of  Wor- 
onetz,  viewed  a  few  miles  from  the  town  on  the  road  to  Pautoosky. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  this  country,  are  seen,  dispersed  over 
immense  plains,  mounds  of  earth,  covered  with  fine  turf,  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  ancient  world,  common  to  almost  every  habitable 
country." 

This  country,  (Russia  in  Europe)  from  Petersburgh  to  the  Cri- 
mea, a  seaport  on  the  Black  sea,  the  region  over  which  Adam  Clarke 
travelled,  is  in  the  very  neighborhood  of  Mount  Ararat ;  and  from 


T" 


ANU   DllCOVERies   lA  THE    V/KiT. 


216 


A 


the  circumstance  of  the  likeness  existing  between  the  mounds  and 
tumuli  there,  which  Clarke  says  are  the 'tombs  of  the  ancient  world,* 
and  tho8c  of  the  same  character,  North  and  South  America,  we 
draw  the  conclusion,  that  they  belong,  nearly  to  one  and  the  tame 
era  of  tin  o  ;  viz  :  that  immediately  succeeding  the  confusion  of 
language,  at  the  building  of  Babel. 

We  are  told  in  the  same  volume  of  travels,  that  "  the  Cossacks 
at  Ekaterindati,  dug  into  some  of  these  mounds,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  cellars,  and  found  in  them  several  ancient  vases,"  earth- 
en vessels,  corresponding  exactly  with  vases  found  in  the  western 
mounds.  Several  have  been  found  in  our  mounds,  which  resem- 
ble one  found  in  Scotland,  described  by  Pennant.  A  vessel  appa- 
rently made  of  clay  and  shells,  resembling  in  its  form,  a  small  keg, 
with  a  spout  on  one  side  of  it,  formed  like  the  spout  of  a  tea-kettle, 
with  a  chain  fastened  to  each  end,  made  probably  of  copper,  of 
which  Mr.  Atwater  has  not  informed  us.  This  chain  answered  as  a 
bail  or  handle ;  exactly  on  its  top,  or  side,  under  the  range  of  the 
chain  handle,  is  an  opening  of  an  exact  circle,  which  is  the  mouth 
of  this  ancient  tea-kettle. — See  plate,  letter  A. 

In  the  kussian  tumuli  are  found  the  bones  of  Various  animaln,  as 
well  as  those  of  men.  In  the  western  tumuli  are  found  also,  the 
bones  of  men,  as  well  as  the  teeth  of  bears,  otters,  and  beavers. 

Thus  we  learn,  from  the  most  authentic  sources,  that  these  an- 
cient works  existing  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  America,  are  simi-' 
lar  in  their  construction,  in  the  materials  with  which  they  were  rais- 
ed, and  in  the  articles  found  in  them. 

Let  those  who  are  constantly  seeking  for  some  argument  to  over- 
throw the  history  of  man  by  Moses,  consider  this  fact.  Such  per- 
sons have  affected  to  believe,  that  there  were  different  stocks  or 
races  of  men  derived  from  different  original  fathers ;  and  in  this 
way  they  account  for  the  appearance  of  human  beings  fuund  on 
islands.  But  this  similarity  of  works,  of  language,  and  of  tradition, 
relating  to  the  most  ancient  history  of  man,  indicates,  nay  more, 
establishes  the  fact,  that  all  men  sprung  from  but  one  origin,  one 
first  man  and  woman,  as  Moses  has  written  it  in  the  book  of 
Genesis. 

When  Dr.  Clarke  was  travelling  in  Tartary,  he  found  a  place 
called  Ivemess,  situated  in  the  turn  of  a  river ;  he  inquried  the  meai>- 
ing  of  the  word,  and  found  that  Iveraess,  in  their  language 


.'<  I 


oxrrrwxt- 


JftUl- 


S16 


AMP.tllCAN  ANTIQUltlES 


1 


! 


fies  tfi  a  txam.  Whoever  looks  into  Pennant's  Tour,  will  see  a  plate, 
representing  a  towajn  the  turn  of  a  river,  in  Scotland,  called  by 
the  same  name,  Ivemess.  The  names  of  not  a  few  of  the  rivers 
iu  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales,  are  the  names  also  of  rivers  in 
Tartary. 

Some  have  supposed  that  all  the  great  ^orks  of^  the  west,  of 
which  we  have  been  treating,  belong  to  ourpresenfrace  of  Indians, 
but  from  continual  wars  with  each  other,  have  driven  themselves 
from  agricultural  pursuits,  and  thinned  away  tliei'r  numbers,  to  that 
degree,  that  the  wild  animals  and  fishes  of  the  riveri^,  and  wild 
fruit  of  the  forests,  were  found  sufficient  to  give  them  abundant  sup- 
port ;  on  which  account,  they  were  reduced  to  scvagism.  ,# 

But  this  is  answered  by  the  Antiquarian  Society,  as  follown : 
"  Have  our  present  race  of  Indians  ever  buried  their  dead  in  mounds 
by  thousands  ?  Were  they  acquainted  with  the  use  of  silver,  or 
copper  ?  These  metals  curiously  wrought  have  been  found.  Did 
the  ancients  of  our  Indiana  bum  the  bodies  of  di8tingui.ihed  chiefs, 
on  funeral  piles,  and  then  raise  a  lofty  tumulus  t>ver  the  urn  con- 
taing] their  ashes?  Did  the  Indians  erect  any  thing  like  the 
"  w&lled  towns,"  on  Paint  Creek  ?  Did  they  ever  dig  Such  welis 
as  are  found  at  Marietta,  Portsmouth,  and  above  all,  such  as  those 
in  Paint  Creek  ?  Did  they  manufacture  vessels  from  calcareous 
breccia,  equal  to  any  now  made  in  Italy  ?  Did  they  ever  make 
and  worship  an  idol,  representing  the  three  principal  gods  of  India, 
called  the  Triune  Cup  ? — See  plate^  letter  E. 

To  this  we  respond,  they  never  have :  no,  ndt  even  their  tra- 
ditions afford  a  glimpse  of  tKle  existence  of  such  things,  as  forts, 
tumuli,  roads,  wells,  mounds,  walls  enclosing,  between  one  and  two 
hundred,  and  even  five  hundred  acres  of  laud ;  some  of  them  of 
itone,  and  others  of  earth,  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  and  exceeding 
high,  are  works  requiring  too  much  labor,  for  Indians  ever  to  have 
performed. 

The  skeletons  found  in  our  mounds  never  belonged  to  a  people 
like  our  Indians.  The  latter  are  a  tall,  and  rather  slender,  straight 
limbed  people  ;  but  those  found  in  the  barrows  and  tumuli,  were 
rarely  over  five  feet  high,  though  a  few  were  six.  Their  foreheads 
were  low,  cheek  bones  rather  high,  their  faces  were  very  short  and 
vNde,  their  eyes  large,  and  their  chins  very  brcad. 


IJi 


AND   DISCOVEKIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


217 


But  Morse,  the  geographer,  says,  page  629,  the  Tartars  have 
small  eyes,  and  not  of  the  ohlique  form,  like  the  Monguls  and  Chi- 
nese, neither  of  which  seem  to  correspond  with  the  large  eyed  race 
who  built  the  mounds  and  tumuli  of  the  west ;  on  which  account 
we  the  more  freely  look  to  a  higher  and  more  ancient  origin  for 
these  peopl§,  The  Indians  of  North  America,  in  features,  com- 
plexion, and  form,  and  warlike  habits,  suit  far  better  the  Tartaric 
character,  than  the  skeletons  found  in  the  mounds  of  the  west-  The 
limbs  of  our  fossils  are  short  and  thick,  resembling  the  Germans 
jnore  than  any  other  Europeans  with  whom  we  are  acquainted. 

There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Germans,  that,  in  ancient  tiiiSes, 
some  adventurers  of  their  nations,  discovered  the  region  now  called 
America,  and  made  settlements  in  it ;  but  that,  subsequently,  they 
became  amalgamated  with  the  inhabitants  whom  they  found  alrea- 
dy here  ;  whether  of  Indian,  or  of  the  more  ancient  race  of  men 
before  them,  is  not  known. 

We  have  conversed  with  one  Grerman  on  this  subject,  who  re- 
lates that  he  was  acquainted  with  a  family  of  Germanic  origin,  who 
once  were  in  the  possession  of  a  Bible,  printed  about  200  years 
since,  in  Germany.  In  this  Bible  was  an  account  of  the  discovery 
of  America.  We  have  taken  considerable  trouble  to  discover  this 
Bible  in  some  branch  of  the  family,  but  have  not  been  able ;  but 
have  found  a  part  or  branch  of  the  family,  who  knew  that  such  a 
volume  was  once  in  the  possession  of  their  ancesjtors  ;  but  where  it 
is,  or  whether  it  is  worn  out,  they  knew  not. 

Germany  is  situated  east  of  England,  and  parts  of  it  lie  along  the 
coast  of  the  Atlantic,  or  North  Sea,  in  north  latitude  53  degrees. 
From  whence  voyagers  may  have  passed  out  between  the  north  end 
of  Scotland  and  the  south  extremity  of  old  Norway,  by  the  Shet 
land  and  Faroe  islands,  directly  in  the  course  of  Iceland,  Greenland 
and  the  Labrador  coast  of  America.  This  is  as  possible  for  the 
Germans  to  have  performed,  as  for  the  Norwegians,  Danes  and 
Welch,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1000,  as  shown  in  another  part  of 
this  work. 

An  idol  found  in  a  tumulus  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  (see 
Plate,  letter  B.)  and  now  in  the  Museum  of  Mr.  Clifford,  of  Lex- 
ington, is  made  of  clay,  peculiar  for  its  fineness.     With  this  clay 


was  uiiAcu 


Dill  ail 


portion  of  gypsum  or 


T»loofop    nf    l^iipia 


AJUIO 


idol  was  made  to  represent  a  man,  in  a  state  of  nudity  or  nakedness, 

28 


r^ 


di8 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


fe>. 


I 


ivhose  arms  Iiad  been  cut  off  close  to  the  body,  and  whose  nose  andf 
chin  have  been  muiilated,  with  a  fillet  and  cake  upon  its  head.  In 
all  these  respects,  as  well  as  in  the  peculiar  manner  of  plating  the 
hair,  it  is  exactly  such  an  idol  as  Professor  Pallas  found  in  his  tra- 
vels in  the  southern  part  of  the  Russian  empire. 

A  custom  among  the  ancient  Greeks,  may  have  given  rise  to  the 
formation  of  such  an  idol ;  which  was  copied  by  the  Asiatic  ances- 
tors of  the  people  who  brought  it  with  them  from  Asia  to  the  woods 
of  America.  This  custom  was — When  a  victim  was  destined  to 
be  sacrificed,  the  sacred  fillet  was  bound  upon  the  head  of  the  idol, 
the  victim  and  priest.  The  salted  cake  was  placed  upon  the  head  , 
of  the  victim  only ;  it  was  called  "  Mola,"  hence  immolarey  or  im- 
molation, in  later  times  was  used  to  signify  any  kind  of  sacrifice. 

On  this  idol,  (see  the  Plate,  letter  B.,)  found  near  Nashville,  the 
sacred  fillet  and  salted  cake  are  represented  on  its  head  :  it  is  sup- 
posed the  copy  of  this  god  was  borrowed  by  the  Greeks  from  the 
Persians  from  whence  it  might  also  have  been  copied,  in  later 
times,  by  the  Chinese  nations,  and  from  thence  have  been  brought 
to  America. 

"  If  the  ancestors  of  our  North  American  Indians,  were  from  the 
nmrthem  parts  of  Tartary,  those  who  worshipped  this  idol  came 
from  a  country  lying  farther  to  the  south,  where  the  population  was 
more  dense,  and  where  the  arts  had  made  greater  progress  ;  while 
the  Tartar  of  the  north  was  a  hunter  and  a  savage,  tlie  Hindoo  and 
southern  Tartar  were  well  acquainted  with  most  of  the  useful  arts,^" 
who,  at  a  later  period  than  that  of  the  first  people  who  settled  this 
country,  came,  bringing  along  with  them  the  artSy  the  idols^  and  the 
religious  rites  of  Hindostan,  China,  and  the  Crimea." 

The  ancestors  of  our  northern  Indians  were  mere  hunters ;  while 
the  authors  of  our  tumuli  were  shepherds  and  husbandmen.  The 
temples,  altars  and  sacred  places  of  the  Hindoos  were  always  situ- 
ated on  the  banks  of  some  stream  of  water.  The  same  observa- 
tion applies  to  the  temples,  altars  and  sacred  places  of  those  who 
erected  our  tumuli.  "  To  the  consecrated  streams  of  Hindostan 
devotees  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  to  worship  their 
gods,  and  purify  themselves  by  bathing  in  the  sacred  waters.  In 
this  country,  their  sacred  places  were  uniformly  on  the  banks  of 
some  river  ;  and  who  knows  but  the  Muskingum,  the  Sciota,  the 
Miami)  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland,  and  the  Mississippi,  were  once 


AIND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE  WEST. 


219 


ideemed  as  sacred,  and  their  banks  as  thickly  settled,  and  as  well 
cultivated,  as  are  now  those  of  the  Ganges,  the  Indus,  and  the  Ba> 
rempooter." — Americwn  Antq.  Researches. 

"  Some  years  since  a  clay  vessel  was  discovered,  about  twenty 
feet  below  the  surface,  in  alluvial  earth,  in  digging  a  well  near 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  was  found  standing  on  a  rock,  from 
whence  a  spring  of  water  issued.  This  vessel  was  taken  to  Peale's 
Museum,  at  Philadelphia.  It  contains  about  one  gallon  ;  was  cir- 
cular in  its  shape,  with  a  flat  bottom,  from  which  it  rises  in  a  some- 
what globose  form,  terminating  at  the  summit  with  the  figure  of  a 
female  head ;  the  place  where  the  water  was  introduced,  or  poured 
out,  was  on  the  one  side  of  it,  nearly  at  the  top  of  the  globose  part. 
The  features  of  the  face  are  Asiatic  ;  the  crown  of  the  head  is  co- 
vered by  a  cap  of  pyramidal  figure,  with  a  flattened  circular  sum- 
mit, ending  at  the  apex,  with  a  round  button.  The  ears  are  large, 
extending  as  low  as  the  chin.  The  features  resemble  many  of 
those  engraved  for  RafHe's  history  ;  and  the  cap  resembles  Asiatic 
head  dresses." — Am.  Ant.  Researches. 

Another  idol  was,  a  few  years  since,  dug  up  in  Natchez,  on  the 
Mississippi,  on  a  piece  of  ground  where,  according  to  tradition,  long 
before  Europeans  visited  this  country,  stood  an  Indian  temple. — 
This  idol  is  of  stone,  and  is  nineteen  inches  in  height,  nine  inches 
in  width,  and  seven  inches  thick  at  the  extremities.  On  its  breast, 
as  represented  on  the  plate  of  the  idol,  were  five  marks,  which 
were  evidently  characters  of  some  kind,  resembling,  as  supposed^the 
Persian  ;  probably  expressing,  in  the  language  of  its  authors,  the 
name  and  supposed  attributes  of  the  senseless  god  of  stone. — See 
the  Plate,  letter  G. 

It  has  been  supposed  the  present  race  of  Indians  found  their  way 
from  Asia,  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Straits,  and  had  passed  from 
thence  along  down  the  chain  of  northern  lakes,  till  they  finally 
came  to  the  Atlantic,  south  of  Hudson^s  Bay,  in  latitude  about  60 
degrees  north ;  long  before  the  people  who  made  the  great  works 
of  the  west.  That  ihis  was  the  fact,  is  argued  by  those  who  con- 
tend for  its  belief,  from  their  having  greater  knowledge  of  the  arts 
diffused  among  them  than  the  Indians. 

It  is,  say  they,  amoug  a  dense  population,  that  these  improve- 
ments are  effected ;  it  is  here  that  necessity,  the  mother  of  inven- 


l^i/-kVk        r\**/^r»^V\f  L*     fvvn*.*       4^ 


nttV*t£\^%^'      ciiv^l-^       «•*>■ 


•*■«     A«x       !.*■<«     ^^^viMi*»«^vi« 


L. 


1,  I'lviuHi'J  iu«u    IV    I3UUJV.VI    isuvit    ouiuuiia  iv    uia  uwutiuivrui  «i»  uxi 


220 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


©    ^ 


discovers  most  docile,  and  best  calculated  to  assist  him  in  his  la- 
bors, and  to  supply  him  with  food  and  raiment-  All  this  we  believe ; 
and  for  this  very  reason  we  hold  the  authors  of  our  western  works 
were  thus  enlightened,  before  they  came  here,  on  the  plains  of  Shi- 
nar,  amid  the  density  of  the  population  of  the  region  immediately 
round  about  the  tower  of  Babel.  For  it  is  evident,  they  never, 
would  have  undertaken  to  build  a  work  so  immense  as  that  tower, 
unless  their  numbers  were  considered  equal  to  it ;  and  much  lessj 
unless  this  was  the  fact,  could  they  have  in  reality  effected  it. 

While  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  who  were  employed 
in  that  work,  were  thus  engaged,  there  must  also,  for  their  sup- 
port, have  been  a  large  country,  densely  peopled,  under  contribu- 
tion. In  order  to  this,  agricnlture  must  have  been  resorted  to  ;  itt- 
struments  of  metal  were  indispensible,  bo-;.h  in  clearing  the  earth 
and  in  erecting  the  tower.  All  this  was  learned  from  Noah,  who 
had  brought,  with  himself  and  family,  the  knowledge  of  the  ante- 
diluvians ;  of  whom  it  is  taid  expressly,  in  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
that  they  both  understood  the  use  of  iron  and  brass,  as  well  as  agri- 
culture. Abel  was  a  tiller  of  the  groui^ ;  Tubal  Cain  was  a  work- 
er in  iron  and  brass. 

It  cannot,  therefore,  be  possible  that  Noah's  immediate  descend- 
ants, to  the  third  or  tenth  generations,  could  have  forgotten  these 
things.  And  such  as  wandered  least  after  the  dispersion,  after  such 
as. may  have  spoken  the  same  language,  had  found  a  place  to  settle 
in,  would  most  certainly  retain  this  antediluvian  information  more 
than  such  as  wandered,  as  the  Tartars  always  have  done. 

One  of  the  arts  known  to  tlie  builders  of  Babel,  was  that  of  brick 
making ;  this  art  was  also  known  to  the  people  who  built  the 
works  in  the  west.  The  knowledge  of  copper  was  known  to  the 
people  of  the  plains  of  Shinar,  for  Noah  must  have  communicated 
it,  as  he  lived  an  hundred  and  Afty  years  among  them  after  the 
flood ;  for  copper  was  known  to  the  antediluvians.  Copper  was 
also  known  to  the  authors  of  the  western  monuments.  Iron  was 
known  to  the  antediluvians ;  it  was  also  known  to  the  ancients  of 
the  west  •,  however,  it  is  evident  that  very  little  iron  was  among 
them,  as  very  few  instances  of  its  discovery  in  their  works  have 
occurred  ;  and  for  this  very  reason  we  draw  a  conclusion  that  they 
came  to  this  country  very  soon  after  the  dispersion,  and  brought 


AND   DISCOVERIEI   IN  THB   1VEST. 


221 


with  them  such  few  articles  of  iron  as  have  been  found  in  their 

works  in  an  oxydized  state.  A 

Copper  ore  is  very  abundant,  in  many  places  of  the  west ;  and 

therefore,  as  they  had  a  knowledge  of  it,  when  they  first  came 
here  they  knew  how  to  work  it,  and  form  it  into  tools  and  ornaments. 
This  is  the  reason  why  so  many  articles  of  this  metal  are  found  in 
their  works ;  and  even  if  they  had  a  knowledge  of  iron  ore,  and 
knew  how  to  work  it,  all  articles  made  of  it  must  have  become 
oxydized,  as  appears  from  what  few  specimens  have  been  found, 
while  those  of  copper  are  more  imperishable.  Gold  ornaments  are 
said  to  have  been  found  in  several  tumuli.  Silver,  very  well  pla- 
ted on  copper,  has  been  found  in  several  mounds,  besides  those  at 
Circleville  and  Marietta.  An  ornament  of  copper  has  been  found 
in  a  stone  mound  near  Chillicothe ;  it  was  a  bracelet  for  the  ancle 
or  wrist. 

The  ancients  of  Asia,  immediately  after  the  dispersion,  were  ac- 
quainted with  ornaments  made  of  the  various  metals  ;  for  in  the 
family  of  Terah,  who  was  the  father  of  Abraham  and  Nahor,  we 
find  these  ornaments  in  use  for  the  beautifying  of  females.  See 
the  servant  of  Abraham,  at  the  well  of  Bethuel,  in  the  country  of 
"  Ur  of  the  Chaldeans,"  or  Mesopotamia,  which  is  not  very  far  from 
the  place  where  Babel  stood — putiRg  a  jewel  of  gold  upon  the  face 
or  forshead  of  Rebecca,  weighing  half  a  shekel,  and  two  bracelets 
for  her  wrists,  or  arms.  Bracelets  for  the  same  use  have  been 
found  in  the  west ;  all  of  which  circumstances  go  to  establish  the 
acquaintance  of  those  who  made  thc:,e  ornaments  of  silver  and  cop- 
per found  in  the  mounds  of  the  west,  equal  with  those  of  Ur  in 
Chaldea.  The  families  of  Peleg,  Reu,  Serug,  and  Nahor,  who 
were  the  immediate  progenitors  of  Abraham,  lived  at  an  era  but 
little  after  the  Hood ;  and  yet  we  find  them  in  the  possession  of  orna- 
ments of  this  kind  ;  from  which  we  conclude  a  knowledge  both  of 
the  metals,  and  how  to  make  ornaments,  as  above  described,  was 
brought  by  Noah  and  his  family  from  beyond  the  flood. 

A  knowledge,  therefore,  of  these  things  must  have  gone  with 
the  different  people  who  spread  themselves  over  tlie  whole  earth, 
and  were  retained  by  those  who  wandered  least,  as  we  suppose  was 
the  fact  in  relation  to  the  first  settlers  of  this  continent,  in  the  re- 
gions of  the  west.  It  is  believed  by  some  that  the  common  Indian 
\  nations  came  first  to  this  country  to  the  northwest,  a^^  following 


.^Hft 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


I 


the  northern  lakes,  found  their  way  to  the  Atlantic  ;  while  Qt  a 
later  period,  they  suppose,  the  more  enlightened  nations  of  China 
came  the  same  way,  and  followed  along  down  the  shore  of  the  Pa- 
ciGc,  till  they  found  a  mild  climate,  along  in  latitude  fifty,  forty, 
and  thirty  degrees.  '  «* 

But  this  is  not  possible :  First,  because  the  Indians  were  found 
by  us  as  numerous  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  as  on  the  shores  of 
the  Atlantic,  and  in  all  the  vast  country  between ;  dwelling  where 
a  people,  still  more  ancient  than  they,  as  we  believe,  once  lived, 
but  had  forsaken  their  fields,  their  houses,  their  temples,  mounds, 
forts,  and  tumuU,  and  either  \vere  nearly  exterminated  in  wars  with 
them,  or  wandered  to  the  south ;  the  small  residue,  the  descend- 
ants of  whom  are  found  in  several  of  the  nations  inhabiting  South 
America,  as  we  have  shown  heretofore. 

Second ;  it  would  seem  impossible  for  the  people,  or  nations,  who 
built  the  Vast  works  of  the  west,  and  are  evidently  of  the  shepherd 
or  agricultural  cast,  to  have  crossed  the  Strait,  and  fought  ^heir  way 
through  hostile,  opposing  and  warlike  nations,  till  they  had  esta- 
blished themselves  in  their  very  midst.  It  is,  therefore,  much 
more  agreeable  to  reason,  and  also  to  the  traditions,  both  of  the  Az- 
teca  nations  in  Mexico  and  the  Wyandot  tribes  in  the  west,  to  be- 
lieve that  our  Indians  came  on  to  the  continent  at  a  much  later  pe- 
riod than  those  who  are  the  authors  of  the  works  we  have  describ- 
ed, and  that  they  had  many  wars  with  them,  till,  at  length,  they 
slowly  moved  to  the  south,  abandoning  for  ever  their  country,  to 
wander,  they  knew  not  whither,  as  we  have  also  shown.  This 
conclusion  is  not  mere  fancy,  for  it  is  a  matter  of  historic  record, 
that  the  "  Tchautskia  annually  crossed  Bhering's  Straits  to  make 
war  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  northwest  coast  of  America." — Hum- 
boldt j  vol.  l,page  199. 

The  reader  will  recollect  our  description  of  the  walled  towns  of 
the  west,  surrounded  with  deep  ditclws ;  as  found  on  Paint  Creek, 
Little  Miami,  Circleville,  Marietta,  Cincinnati,  Portsmouth,  and  in 
Perry  county,  Ohio.  There  is  a  town,  (see  Morse's  Geography, 
vol.  2,  p.  631,)  situated  in  the  regions  of  Mount  Ararat,  in  the 
country  called  Independent  Tartary,  by  the  name  of  Khiva,  which 
stands  on  a  rising  ground,  like  '  he  town  in  Perry  county.  It  is  sur- 
rounded 'vith  a  high  wall  of  aaitli,  very  thick,  and  much  higher 
than  the  houses  within.    It  'las  three  gateways  ;  there  are  turrets 


■  M  ' 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THH   WEST. 


223 


«t  imall  distances,  and  a  broad  deep  ditch ;  the  town  is  large,  and 
occupies  a  considerable  space,  and  commands  a  beautiful  prospect 
of  the  distant  plains,  which  the  industry  of  the  inhabitants  has  ren- 
dered very  fertile ;  but  the  houses  of  this  town  are  very  low,  and 
mostly  built  of  clay,  and  the  roofs  flat,  and  covered  with  earth. 
This  town,  which  so  exactly  corresponds  with  the  ruins  of  the  west, 
is  in  that  part  of  Asia,  east  of  Ararat,  where  the  primitive  inhabi- 
tants, immediately  after  the  deluge,  made  the  first  settlements. 
And  from  this  coincidence,  we  are  led  to  a  belief,  drawn  from  thi» 
and  abundant  other  evidence,  that  the  antiquity  of  the  one  is  equal 
with  that  of  the  c  her ;  that  its  construction  is  indeed  of  the  primi- 
tive form ;  which  strengthens  our  opinion,  that  the  first  inhabitants 
of  America,  came  here  with  the  very  ideas  relative  to  the  construc- 
tion and  security  of  towns  and  fortifications,  that  dictated  the  build- 
ing of  Khiva.  It  is  allowed,  on  all  hands,  that  the  people  of  Asia 
are  wholly  of  the  primitive  stamp ;  their  antiquities,  therefore,  are 
of  the  same  character. 

"  Proofs  of  primitive  times,"  says  Mr.  Atwater,  "  are  seen  in 
their  manners  and  customs,  in  their  modes  of  burial  and  worship, 
and  in  their  wells,  which  resemble  those  of  the  patriarchal  ages. 
Here  the  reader  has  only  to  recollect  the  one  at  Marietta,  those  at 
Portsmouth,  on  Paint  Creek,  at  Cincinnati,  and  compare  them  with 
those  described  in  Genesis.  Jacob  rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's 
mouth,"  that  is,  from  the  fountain  at  the  bottom.  "  Rachel  de- 
scended with  her  pitcher,  and  brought  up  water  for  her  future  hus- 
band, and  for  the  flocks  of  her  father." 

Before  men  were  acquainted  with  letters,  they  raised   monu 
ments  of  unwroughl  fragments  of  rocks,  for  the  purpose  of  perpetu- 
ating the  memory  of  events.     Such  we  find  raised  in  America.     In 
the  patriarchal  ages,  men  were  in  the  habit  of  burying  their  dead 
on  high  mountains  and  hills,  with  mounds  or  tumuli  raised  over 
tVem;  such  we  find  in  America  "    Mr.  Atwater  asks  the  question, 
*'  did  they  not  come  here  as  early  as  the  days  of  Lot  and  Abraham.'" 
the  latter  of   whom  lived,  something  more   than    two  thousand 
years  before  Christ,  which  would  be  only  about  three  hu'adred  and 
forty  years  after  the  flood,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
after  the  confusion  of  language  at  Babel. 
If  so,  they  were  acquainted  more  or  less  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  creation  of  the  world,  with  the  circumstance  of 


the  true  God, 


224 


\    . 


•«^-, 


AMERICAN  ANTlH't^'illGl 


the  building  of  the  ark,  the  fact  of  the  deluge,  the  nuoiber  of  per- 
sons saved  in  the  ark,  or,  as  they  say,  on  a  raft ;  and  also,  with  cir- 
cumstances which  transpired  after  the  flood,  as  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture ;  all  of  which  are  plainly  alluded  to  in  Mexican  tradition. 

But  other  nations  than  the  progenitors  of  the  Mexicans,  have  al- 
so found  this  country,  at  other  eras,  one  after  another,  as  accident  or 
design  may  have  determined. 

Fortification — On  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  some  miles  be- 
low Lake  Pepin,  on  a  fine  plain,  exists  an  artificial  elevation  of 
about  four  feet  high,  extending  a  full  mile,  in  somewhat  of  a  cir- 
cular form.  It  is  sufliciently  capacious  to  have  covered  5000  men. 
Every  angle  of  the  breast  work  is  yet  traceable,  though  much  de- 
faced by  time.  Here,  it  is  likely,  conflicting  realms  as  great  as 
those  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Persians,  decided  the  fate  of  am- 
bitious Monarchs,  of  the  Chinese,  Mongol  descent- 
Weapons  of  brass  have  been  found  in  many  parts  of  America, 
as  in  the  Canadas,  Florida,  &c.,  with  curiously  sculptured  stones, 
all  of  which  go  to  prove  that  this  country  was  once  peopled  with 
civilized,  industrious  nations, — now  traversed  the  greater  part  by 
savage  hunters. 


^  •> 


DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA  BY  THE  NORWEGIANS  AND  WELCH 
BEFORE  THE  TIME  OF  COLUMBUS. 

This  is  contended  by  Lord  Monboddo,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
a  philosophical  and  metaphysical  Avriter  of  the  17th  century.  He 
wrote  a  dissertation  on  the  origin  and  progress  of  language,  in  which 
he  is  sure  he  has  found  among  the  nations  of  America,  who  are  of 
the  aboriginal  class,  the  ancient  Celtic  or  Gaelic  dialect.  He  goes 
further,  and  supposes  that  all  the  nations  of  America,  from  the  La- 
brador Esquimaux,  to  the  natives  of  Florida,  are  derived  of  Celtic 
origin :  but  to  this  we  cannot  subscribe,  as  that  many  nations  of  the 
common  Indians  are  evidently  of  Tartaric  or  Scythian  origin ;  the 
descendants  of  the  race  of  Shem,  and  not  of  Japheth,  who  was  a 
white  man. 


id,  and 
.     He 
which 
are  of 
le  goes 
he  La- 
Celtic 
of  the 
the 


kVD  DIlCOrERlCI   m   THE   WEST. 


315 


Monboddo,  however,  argues  in  support  of  his  opinion,  from  a 
number  of  curious  circumstances.  He  says  that  when  in  France, 
he  was  acquainted  with  French  Jesuit,  a  man  of  great  and  cele- 
brated erudition,  who  related  to  him  that  a  companion  of  his,  who 
was  engaged  in  the  missionary  service,  with  himself,  among  the 
northeru  Indians  in  America,  having  lost  his  way  in  the  woods, 
travelled  on,  he  knew  not  whither,  till  he  found  himself  among  the 
Esquimaux  Indians. 

Here  he  staid  long  enough  to  learn  their  language ;  after  which 
he  returned  to  Quebec,  in  Canada  ;  and  happening  one  day  to  be 
walking  along  the  docks  of  that  city,  observed  among  the  crew  of 
a  ship  thet  was  moored  there,  a  sailor  who  was  a  native  of  the 
country  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenian  mountain,  on  the  side  of  France. 
On  hearing  this  man  speak,  who  was  a  Basque,  from  his  know- 
ledge of  iUn  Esquimaux,  obtained  as  above  related,  he  understood 
what  he  said,  so  that  they  conversed  together  a  while.  Now,  the 
language  which  the  Basques  speak,  Lord  Monboddo  informs  us,  is 
absolutely  a  dialect  of  the  ancient  Celtic,  and  differs  but  little  from 
the  language  of  the  ancient  Highlanders  of  Scotland. 

This  opinion  is  corroborated  by  a  fact,  noticed  in  a  Scotch  publi- 
cation, respecting  an  Esquimaux  Indian,  who  accompanied  one  of 
the  English  expeditions  towards  the  north  pole,  with  a  view  to 
reach  it,  if  possible,  or  to  find  a  passage  from  the  North  Atlantic 
through  to  the  North  Pacific,  by  the  way  of  Bhering's  Strait ;  but 
did  not  succeed  on  account  of  the  ice. 

On  board  of  this  vessel  was  a  Scotch  Highlander,  a  native  of 
the  island  of  Mull,  one  of  the  Hebrides  ;  who,  in  a  few  days  time, 
was  enabled  to  converse  fluently  with  the  Esquimaux  ;  which  M'ould 
seem  to  be  a  proof  absolute,  of  the  common  origin,  both  of  the  Es- 
quimaux language,  and  that  of  the  Basque,  which  is  the  ancient 
Scotch  or  Celtic. 

Also  the  same  author  states,  that  the  Celtic  language  was  spoken 
by  many  of  the  tribes  of  Florida,  which  is  situated  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with 
a  gentleman,  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  who  was  several  years 
in  Florida,  in  a  public  character,  and  who  stated  that  many  of  the 
tribes  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted,  had  the  greatest  af- 
finity with  the  Celtic  in  their  language ;  which  appeared  particu- 

99 


f^ 


I' 


226 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


larly,  both  iu  the  form  of  speech,  and 


of  reciprocating  the 


manner 
common  salutation,  of  "  how  do  you  do." 

But  what  is  still  more  remarkable,  in  their  war  song  he  disco- 
vered, not  only  the  sentiments,  but  several  lines,  the  very  same 
words  as  used  in  Ossian's  celebrated  majestic  poem  of  the  wars  of 
his  ancestors,  who  flourished  about  thirteen  hundred  years  ago. 
The  Indian  names  of  several  of  the  streams,  brooks,  mpuutains  aqd 
rocks  of  Florida,  arc  also  the  same  which  arc  given  to  similar  ob- 
jects, in  the  highlands  of  Scotland. 

This  celebrated  metaphysician  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  an- 
ciently reported  account  of  America's  having  been  visited  by  a  co- 
lony from  Wales,  long  previous  to  the  discovery  of  Columbus ;  and 
says  the  fact  is  recorded  by  several  Welch  historians,  which  cannot 
be  contested.  It  is  reported  by  travellers  in  the  west,  that  on  the 
Red  River,  which  has  its  origin  north  of  Spanish  Texas,  but  emp- 
ties into  the  Mississippi,  running  through  Louisiana  ;  that  on  this 
river,  very  far  to  the  southwest,  a  tribe  of  Indians  has  been  found, 
whose  manners,  in  several  respects,  resemble  the  Welch,  especi'\lly 
in  their  marriage  and  funeral  ceremonies.  They  call  themselves 
the  McCedus  tribe,  which  having  the  Mc  or  Mack  attached  to  their 
name,  points  evidently  to  a  Europen  origin,  of  the  Celtic  description. 
It  is  further  reported  by  travellers,  that  northwest  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  Red  River,  which  would  be  in  the  region  called  the 
great  Americap  desert,  Indians  have  come  down  to  the  white  set- 
tlements, some  thirty  or  forty  years  since,  who  spoke  the  Welch 
language  quite  intelligibly.  These  Indians,  bearing  such  strong 
evidence  of  Welch  extraction,  may  possibly  be  descended  from  the 
lost'  colony  from  Wales,  an  account  of  which  is  given  in  Powel's 
History  of  Wales,  in  the  12th  century  ;  which  relates  that  Prince 
Madoc,  weary  of  contending  with  a  brother  for  their  father's  crown , 
left  his  country,  and  sailed  from  Wales  a  due  west  course,  which, 
if  they  came  to  land  at  all  must  have  been  Newfoundland,  which 
lies  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  exactly  in  lati- 
tude 50  degrees  north,  which  is  contiguous  to  this  continent.  But 
the  account  relates  that  he  discovered  an  unknown  country ;  that  he 
returned  to  Wales,  and  gave  such  a  favorable  history  of  his  discove 
ries  and  of  the  goodness  of  the  land,  that  many  were  induced  to 
embark  with  him  on  his  second  voyage,  which  he  accomplished. — 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE    WEST. 


227 


He  returned  again  to  Wales,  but  after  a  while  sailed  a  third  time 
to  the  newly  discovered  country,  but  has  never  since  been  heard  of. 
The  same  account  as  above,  is  here  again  related,  but  with  oth^r 
circumstances  attending.  "  In  the  yenr  1170,"  which  was  as  be- 
fore stated,  in  the  12lh  century,"  Madoc,  son  of  Owen  Groynwedk, 
Prince  of  Wales,  dissatisfied  with  the  situation  of  afTairs  at  home, 
left  his  country,  as  related  by  the  Welch  historian,  in  quest  of  some 
new  place  to  settle.  And  leaving  Ireland  to  the  north,  proceeded 
west,  till  he  discovered  a  fertile  country  ;  where  leaving  a  colony, 
he  returned,  and  persuading  many  of  his  countrymen  to  join  him, 
put  to  sea  with  ten  ships,  and  was  never  more  h.^ard  of." 

We  are  not  in  the  belief  that  all  the  tribe*  of  the  west,  who  have 
the  name  of  Indian,  are  indeed  such.  There  are  many  tribes  which 
have  been  discovered  in  the  western  regions,  as  on  the  Red  River, 
in  the  great  American  desert,  west  of  the  head  waters  of  that  river, 
and  in  wilds  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  who  are  evidently  not 
of  the  Tartar  stock,  whose  complexion,  language,  and  bearded  faces, 
show  them  to  be  of  other  descent. 

The  Indians  who  were  living  on  the  river  Taunton,  in  Massa- 
chusetts, when  the  wl  xs  first  settled  there,  had  a  tradition  that 
certain  strangers  once  sailed  up  Asoonset,  or  Taunton  River,  in 
wooden  houses,  and  conquered  the  red  men.  This  tradition  does 
not  go  to  lessen  the  probability  of  the  expedition  of  the  Welch  fleet, 
as  above  related,  but  greatly  to  strengthen  it. 

This  account  of  the  Welch  expedition,  has  several  times  drawn 
the  attention  of  the  world ;  but  as  no  vestige  of  them  has  been 
found,  it  was  concluded,  perhaps  too  rashly,  to  be  a  fable ;  or  at 
least,  that  no  remains  of  the  colony  exist.  Of  late  years,  however, 
western  settlers  have  received  frequent  accounts  of  a  nation  inhabit- 
ing at  a  great  distance  up  the  Missouri,  in  manners  and  appearance 
resembling  the  other  Indians,  by  speaking  Welch,  and  retaining 
some  ceremonies  of  the  Christian  worship;  and,  at  length,  says 
Imlay,  in  his  work,  entitled  Imluy's  America,  thic  is  universally 
believed  to  be  a  fact. 

Near  the  falls  of  Ohioj  six  brass  ornaments,  such  as  soldiers  usu- 
ally wear  in  front  of  their  belts,  was  dug  up,  attached  to  six  skele- 
tons. They  were  cast  metal,  and  on  one  of  them  which  was 
brought  to  Cincinnati,  was  represented  a  mermaid,  playing  upon  a 
harp,  which  was  the  ancient  coat  of  arms  for  the  principality  of 


328 


AMERICAN   ARTiqUITICi 


II 


I 


m 


Walea.  The  tradition  from  the  oldest  Indians,  is,  that  it  was  at 
the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  that  the  first  -white  people  were  cut  off  by 
the  natives. 

It  is  well  authenticated  that  upwards  of  thirty  years  ago,  Indiana 
came  to  Kaskaskia.  in  the  territory,  now  the  state  of  Illinois,  who 
spoke  the  Welch  dialect,  and  were  perfectly  understood  by  two 
Welchmen  then  there,  who  conversed  with  them.  From  informa- 
tion to  be  relied  on,  tomb  stones,  and  other  monuments  of  the  ex> 
istenre  of  such  a  people,  have  been  found,  with  the  year  engraved, 
corresponding  very  near  to  that  given  above,  being  in  the  twelfth 
century. 

But  long  before  this  lost  colony  left  Wales,  Lord  Monboddo  sayi, 
America  was  visited  by  some  Norwegians,  from  Greenland,  who,  it 
was  well  known,  were  the  discoverers  of  Greenland,  in  A.  D.  964, 
and  on  that  very  account,  it  might  be  safely  supposed  they  would 
push  their  discoveries  still  farther  west. 

Accordingly,  his  lordship  says,  the  Norwegians  having  made  a 
settlement  in  Greenland,  in  the  end  of  the  tenth  century,  some  ad- 
venturers from  thence  about  that  time,  which  would  be  about  eight 
hundred  years  ago,  discovered,  or  rather  visited,  North  America  ; 
for  this  writer  supposes  the  continent  to  have  been  known  to  the 
people  of  the  old  world,  os  early  as  the  time  of  the  seige  of  Troy  ; 
which  was  about  eleven  hundred  years  before  Christ ;  about  the 
time  of  Solomon,  or  rather,  an  hundred  years  before  the  time  of  that 
king. 

This  is  a  point  at  which  the  publication  uf  this  book  aims,  viz  : 
to  establish  that  this  part  of  the  earth  was  settled  as  soon  after  the 
flood  as  any  other  country  as  far  from  Ararat,  and  perhaps  sooner. 

Lord  Monboddo  says,  these  Greenland  Norwegian  adventurers 
made  a  settlement  about  the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  Lawrence  ; 
where  having  found  wild  grapes,  a  German  among  them  named  the 
country  Vinland,  as  is  related  in  the  history  of  this  discovery.  Mr. 
Irving,  in  his  lati-  life  of  Columbus,  says,  that  as  the  Norwegians 
had  never  seen  the  grape  vine,  did  not  know  what  it  was,  but  there 
being  a  German  with  them,  who  was  acquainted  with  the  grape  of 
his  own  native  country,  told  them  its  name,  from  which  they  nam- 
ed it  as  above. 

This  account  is  recorded  in  the  Annals  of  Iceland  ;  which  was 
peopled  from  Norway,  which  is  in  the  north  of  Europe  *,  and  from 


AND   DIBCOTERIEI   tif   THE    WKlT- 


isf 


Iceland  the  colony  came  that  settled  in  Greenland,  fron  thence  to 
the  mouth  of  the  River  St-  Lawrence,  about  the  year  1000  A.  D. 
If  such  was  the  fact,  there  is  nothing  more  natural,  than  that  they 
may  have  pursued  up  that  river,  even  to  the  lakes,  and  have  set- 
tled around  them,  and  on  the  islands  in  the  St.  Lawrence.     There 
is  an  island  in  that  river,  called  Chimney  Island,  so  named,  on  ac- 
count of  the  discovery  of  ancient  cellars  and  fire  places,  evidently 
more  ancient  than  the  first  acquaintance  of  the  French  with  that 
country,  which  we  suppose  to  have  been  made  by  these  Norwegians. 
This  Scottish  author,  in  his  admired  work  on  the  origin  and  pro- 
gress of  language,  as  well  as  in  other  works  of  his,  relates  a  vast 
number  of  curious  and  interesting  circumstances,  which  relate  to 
our  subject ;    one  of  the  most  remaikable,  is  an  account  of  an  In- 
dian mummy,  discovered  in  Florida,  wrapped  up  in  a  cloth  manu- 
factured from  the  bark  of  trees,  and  adorned  with  hieroglyphical 

characters,  precisely  the  same,  with  characters  engraved  on  a 
metal  plate,  found  in  an  ancient  burying  ground,  in  one  of  the  He- 
bride  islands,  north  of  Scotland. 

This  country,  (Scotland)  boasts  of  the  most  ancient  line  of  kings 
that  have  reigned  in  Europe,  having  settled  in  Scotland,  more  than 
three  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  in  the  time  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great.  They  are  of  Cimbrick  Chersonese  origin,  who 
are  derived  probably,  from  some  wandering  tribe,  descended  from 
Japheth,  the  iie  son  of  Noah,  whose  independence,  ihe  Greeks 
nor  Romans  were  never  able,  in  their  widespread  conquests,  to  wrest 
from  them  ,  this  was  reserved  for  the  English  to  accomplish,  which 
was  done  ii^  1C03. 

Th«;se  islands,  therefore,  north  and  west  of  SccMand,  became 
peopled  by  their  descendants  at  an  early  day.  Their  hardiness  of 
constitution,  perseverance  of  character,  and  adventuring  disposition, 
favours,  in  the  strongest  sense,  the  accounts  as  recorded  in  their  na- 
tional documents.  And  a  reason  why  those  documents  have  not 
come  to  light  sooner,  is,  because  they  were  penned  some  hundred 
years  before  the  invention  of  printing  ;  ind  laid  up  in  the  cabinet 
of  some  Norwegian  chief,  at  a  time  when  but  few  could  read  at  all, 
and  the  means  of  information  did  not  exist,  to  be  compared  with 
the  facilities  of  the  present  time  :  therefore,  it  has  been  reserved  to 
this  late  era,  to  unravel  the  mysteries  of  antiquity. 


S30 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


! 


In  the  work  entitled  "  Irving's  life  of  Columbus,"  is  an  account 
of  the  discovery  of  this  continent,  by  those  northern  islanders,  given 
in  a  more  circumstantial  and  detailed  manner.  See  his  Appendix  to 
the  3d  vol.  p.  292,  as  follows : 

"  The  most  plausible,"  or  credible   "  account"  respecting  those 
discoveries,  "is  given  by  Snoro  Sturleson, or  Sturloins,  in  his  Saga, 
or  Chronicle  of  king  Olaus.     According  to  this  writer,  oue  Biom, 
of  Iceland,  voyaging  to  Greenland  in  search  of  his  father,  from 
vrhon  he  had  been  separated  by  a  storm,  was  driven  by  tempestu- 
ous weather,  far  to  the  south-west,  until  he  came  in  sight  of  a  low 
country,  covered  with  woods,  with  an  island  in  its  vicinity.     The 
weather  btcoming  favourable  he  turned  to  the  north-east  without 
landing,  and  arrived  safe  at  Greenland.     His  account  of  the  coun- 
try he  had  seen,  it  is  said,  excited  the  enterprise  of  Lief,  son  of 
Eric  Rauda,  (or  red  head)  the  first  settler  of  Greenland.     A  ves- 
sel was  fitted  out,  and  Lief  and  Biron  depai  ted  together  in  quest  of 
this  unknown  land.     They   found  a  rocky  and  sterile  island,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  Hellelan^  ;  also  a  low,  sandy  coun- 
try, covered  with  wood,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Markland ; 
and  two  days  afterwards,  they  observed  a  continuance  of  the  coast 
with  au  island  to  the  north  of  it.     This  last  they  described  as  fer- 
tile, well   v70oded,  producing  agreeable  fruits,   and  particularly 
grapes  ;    a  fruit  with  which  they  were  not  acquainted ;  but  on  be- 
ing informed  by  one  of  their  companions,  a  German,  of  its  qualities 
and  name,  they  called  the  country  from  it,  Vinland. 

They  ascended  a  river  well  stored  with  fish,  particularly  sdmon, 
and  came  to  a  Lake  form  which  the  river  took  its  origin,  where  they 
passed  the  winter. 

It  is  very  probable  this  river  was  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  it  abound- 
ed with  Salmon,  and  was  the  outlet  of  a  Lake,  which,  it  is  likely, 
was  Ontario ;  there  is  no  other  River  capable  of  being  navigated, 
very  far  from  its  mouth,  with  a  sea  vessel,  and  which  comes  from 
a  Lake,  and  empties  into  the  sea,  on  that  side  of  the  coast,  but  the 
St.  Lawrence. 

The  climate  appeared  to  them  mild  and  pleasant,  in  comparison, 
being  accustomed  to  the  more  rigorous  seasons  of  the  north ;  on  the 
shortest  day  in  the  winter,  the  sun  was  but  eight  hours  above  the 
horizon ;  hence  it  has  been  concluded,  that  the  country  was  about 
the  49th  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  was  either  Newfoundland,  or 


■  :  -  .■J7'^ 


-ffiT^- 


And  DiiicovERiEs  m  the  ivEsf; 


231 


some  part  of  the  cost  of  North  America,  about  the  Gulf  of  St. 
La\rrence.  It  is  said  in  those  Chronicles  of  Sturloins,  that  the  re- 
latives of  Lief  made  several  voyages  to  Vinland ;  that  they  traded 
vrith  the  natives  for  peltry  and  furs;  and  that  in  1121,  a  bishop, 
named  Eric,  went  from  Greenland  to  Vinland,  to  convert  the  in 
habitants  to  Christianity. 

A  knowledge  of  Christianity,  among  the  savage  Briton,  Caledo- 
nians and  the  Welch,  was  introduced,  as  is  supposed,  by  St.  Paul, 
or  some  of  his  disciples,  ai  early  as  the  year  of  our  Lord  63,  more 
than  seventeen  hundred  years  ago. 

*<  From  this  time,  about  1121,  we  know  nothing  of  Vinland,  says 
Forester,  in  his  book  of  northern  voyages,  3d  vol.  2d.  chap.,  page 
36,  as  quoted  by  Irving.  There  is  every  appearance  that  the  tribe, 
which  still  exists  in  the  interior  of  Newfoundland,  and  who  are  so 
different  from  the  other  savages  of  North  America  both  in  their  ap- 
pearance and  mode  of  living,  and  always  in  a  state  of  warfare  with 
the  Indians  of  the  northern  coast,  are  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Normans,  Scandinavians,  or  Danes." 

In  the  chronicles  of  ^  these  northern  nations,  there  is  also  and  ac- 
count of  the  voyage  of  four  boat  crews,  in  the  year  1354,  which 
corroborates  the  foregoing  relations.  This  little  squadron  of  fishing 
bo&ts,  "  being  overtaken  by  a  mighty  tempest,  were  driven  about 
the  sea  for  many  days,  until  a  boat,  containing  seven  persons,  was 
cast  upon  an  island,  called  Estotiland,  about  one  thousand  miles 
from  Friesland.  They  were  taken  by  the  inhabitants  and  carried 
to  a  ^air  and  populous  city,  where  the  king  sent  for  many  interpre- 
ters, to  converse  with  them,  but  none  that  they  could  understand, 
until  a  man  was  found  who  likewise  had  beeu  cast  upon  that  coast 
some  time  before.  They  remained  several  days  upon  the  island, 
which  was  rich  and  fruitful.  The  inhabitants  were  intelligent  ]^id 
acquainted  with  the  mechanical  arts  of  Europe  ;  they  cultivated 
grain,  made  beer,  and  lived  in  houses  built  of  stone. 

There  were  Latin  books  in  the  king's  library,  though  the  inhabi- 
tants had  no  knowledge  of  that  language  ;"  and  :n  manuscript,  aa 
the  art  of  printing  was  not  yet  discovered.  They  had  many  towns 
and  castles,  and  carried  on  a  trade  with  Greenland,  for  pitch,  sul- 
phur and  peltry.  Though  much  given  to  navigation,  they  were 
ignorant  of  the  use  of  the  compass,  and  finding  the  Frieslanders 
acquainted  with  it,  held  them  in  great  esteem ;  and  the  king  sent 


WwW 


AUF.RICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


them,  with  twelve  barks,  to  visit  a  country  to  the  south,  called 
Drogeo."  Drogeo  is,  most  likely,  a  Norman  name  ;  as  we  find 
JDrogo  was  a  leader  of  the  Normans  against  the  ancient  baronies  of 
Italy,  about  the  year  of  our  Lord  7S7.  Drogeo  is  stipposcd  to  have 
been  the  continent  of  America.  This  voyage  of  the  fishing  squa- 
dron, it  appears,  was  in  1354,  more  than  fifty  years  after  the  disco- 
very of  the  n^gnetic  needle,  which  was  in  1300. 

"  They  had  nearly  perished  in  this  storm,  but  were  cast  away 
upon  the  coast  of  Drogeo.  They  found  the  people  cannibals  and 
were  on  the  point  of  being  killed  and  devoured,  (these  were  our 
Indians,)  but  were  spared  on  account  of  their  great  skill  in  fishing. 
Drogeo  they  found  to  be  a  country  of  vast  extent,  or  rather  a  new 
world;  that  the  inhabitants  were  naked  and  barbarous;  but  that 
far  to  the  southwest  there  was  a  more  civilized  region  and  tempe- 
rate climate,  where  the  inhabitants  had  a  knowledge  of  gold  and 
silver,  lived  in  cities,  erected  splendid  temples  to  idols,  and  sacri- 
ficed human  victims  to  them."  This  is  a  true  picture  of  the  Mex- 
icans, as  found  by  Cortez,  the  Spanish  conqueror  of  Mexico. 

"  After  the  fisherman,"  who  relates  this  account,  "  had  resided 
many  years  on  the  continent  of  Drogeo,  during  which  time  he  had 
passed  from  the  service  of  one  cbieftian  to  another,  and  traversed 
various  parts  of  it,  certain  boats  of  Estotiland,  (now  supposed  to-be 
Newfoundland,)  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Drogeo.  The  fisherman 
got  on  board  of  them,  and  acted  as  interpreter,  and  followed  the 
trade  between  the  main  land  of  Drogeo  hnd  the  island  Estotiland, 
for  some  time,  until  he  became  very  rich  ;  then  he  fitted  out  a  bark 
of  bis  own,  and  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  people  of  the 
island,  made  his  way_  back  across  the  intervening  distance  be- 
tween Drogeo  and  his  native  country,  Friesland,  in  Germany. 

The  account  he  gave  of  this  country,  determined  Zichmni,  the 
prince  of  Friesland,  to  send  an  expedition  thither ;  and  Antonio 
Zeno,  a  Venitian,  was  to  command  it.  Just  before  starting,  the 
fisherman,  who  was  to  have  acted  as  pilot,  died  ;  but  certain  mar- 
iners who  accompanied  hira  from  Estotiland,  were  taken  in  his 
place.  The  expedition  sailed  under  command  of  Zichmni ;  the 
Venitian  Zeno  merely  accompanied  it.  It  was  unsuccessful.  After 
having  discovered  an  island,  called  Icaria,  where  they  met  with  a 
rough  reception  from  tlie  inhabitants,  and  were  obliged  to  with- 
draw, the  BhirtB  were  drives  by  storm  to  Greenland. 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


MS 


I 


No  record  remains  of  any  farther  prosecution  of  the  enterprise. 
The  countries  mentioned  in  the  account  written  by  this  Zeno,  were 
laid  down  on  a  map  originally  on  'wood.  The  island  Estotiland, 
has  been  supposed  by  M.  Malte-Brun,  to  be  Newfoundland ;  its 
partially  civilized  inhabitants,  the  descendants  of  the  Scandinavian 
colonists  of  Vinland,  and  the  Latin  books  in  manuscript,  found  iu 
the  king's  library,  belonged  to  the  remains  of  the  library  of  the 
Greenland  bishop,  who  emigrated  thither  in  1121. 

Drogeo,  according  to  the  same  conjecture,  was  Nova  Scotia  and 
New-England ;  the  civilized  people  to  the  southwest,  who  sacri- 
ficed human  beings  ia  rich  temples,  he  supposes  to  have  been  the 
Mexicans,  or  some  ancient  nations  of  Florida  or  Louisiana. 

A  distinguished  writer  of  Copenhagen,  it  is  said,  was  not  long 
since,  engaged  in  the  composition  of  a  work  on  the  early  voyages 
of  discovery  of  this  continent,  as  undertaken  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  north  of  Europe,  more  than  eight  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago. 
He  has  in  his  hands,  genuine  ancient  documents,  the  examination 
•of  which  leads  to  curious  and  surprising  results.  They  furnish  va- 
rious and  unquestionable  evidence,  not  only  that  the  coast  of  North 
America  was  discovered  soon  after  the  discovery  of  Greenland  by 
northern  explorers,  a  part  of  whom  remained  there  ;  and  that  it  was 
again  visited  in  the  eleventh,  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  but 
also  that  Christianity  was  introduced  among  the  Indians  of  Ame- 
rica. The  documents  of  this  writer  furnish  even  a  map,  cut  in 
wood,  of  the  northern  coast  of  America,  and  also  an  account  of  the 
sea  coast  south  as  far  down  as  to  the  Carolines,  and  that  a  principal 
station  of  these  adventurers  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  St. 
Lawrence. 

He  says  it  was  in  the  year  985,  that  America  was  first  discover- 
ed by  Baiske  Her  Juefser,  but  that  he  did  not  land ;  and  that  in 
the  year  1000,  the  coast  was  visited  by  a  man  named  Lief,  a  son  of 
Eric  the  Red,  who  colonised  Greenland — Cabinet  of  Lit.  vol.  3. 

From  the  discoveries  of  Baron  Humboldt,  in  South  America,  it 
would  appear  that  the  continent  of  America  has  indeed  been  not  on- 
ly visited  by  the  northern  nations  of  Europe,  at  a  very  early  day, 
but  also  to  have  settled  on  it,  and  to  have  become  the  head  of  tribes, 
nations  and  kingdoms,  as  follows  :  In  the  kingdom  of  Guatimalsi 
South  America,  the  descendants  of  the  original  inhabitants  pre- 
serve traditioni  whirb   Otn  h»p1r  tn  tflP  Pnnnli  nF   a  nraaf  /7o;»ru>     oftn. 


»M^W,     CUtWS 


30 


td4 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


ill 


'»i. 


which  their  ancestors,  led  by  a  chief  called  Votan,  had  come  from 
»  country  lying  tow^d  the  north.  As  late  as  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, in  a  village  in  Guatimala,  there  were  of  the  natives  who  boast- 
ed their  descent  from  the  family  of  Votan,  or  Vodan.  "  They  who 
have  studied  the  history  of  the  Scandinavian  (old  Norway)  nations, 
iuys  Humboldt,  in  the  heroic  times,  must  be  struck  at  finding  in 
Mexico  a  name  which  recalls  that  of  Vodan  or  Oldin,  who  reigned 
among  the  Scythians,  and  whose  race,  according  to  the  very  re- 
markable assertion  of  Bede,  (an  ecclesiastical  historian  of  the  17th 
century,)  gave  kings  to  a  great  number  of  nations."  This  wonder- 
fully corroborates  the  opinion  of  America's  having  been  settled  in 
several  parts  by  Europeans,  at  a  period  more  ancient  than  even  the 
history  of  Europe  can  boast. 

The  Shawanese  tribe  of  Indians,  who  now  live  in  Ohio,  once 
lived  on  the  Suaney  river,  in  West  Florida,  near  the  shores  of  the 
southwest  end  of  the  gulf  of  Mexico ;  among  these  Indians,  says 
Mr.  Atwater,  there  is  a  tradition  that  Florida  had  once  been  inha- 
bited by  white  people,  who  had  the  use  of  iron  tools.  Their  oldest 
Indians  say,  when  children,  they  bad  often  heard  it  spoken  of  by 
the  old  people  of  the  tribe,  that  anciently  stumps  of  trees,  covered 
with  earth,  were  frequently  found,  which  had  been  cut  down  by 
edged  tools. — Am.  Aiit.  Re.  p.  273.  And  that  whoever  they  were, 
or  from  whatever  country  they  may  have  originated,  the  account, 
as  given  by  Morse,  the  geographer,  of  the  subterranean  wall  found 
in  North  Carolina,  goes  very  far  to  show,  they  had  a  knowledge  of 
iron  ore  ;  and  consequently  knew  how  to  work  it,  or  they  could 
not  hf.ve  had  iron  tools,  as  the  Shawanese  Indians  relate. 

Morse's  account  is  as  follows :  "  In  Rowan  county,  about  ten 
Miles  southwest  from  Salsbury,  two  hundred  from  the  sea,  and  se- 
venty from  the  mountains  which  run  across  the  western  end  of  the 
state,  is  found  a  remarkable  subterraneous  wall.  It  stands  on  im- 
even  ground,  near  a  small  brook.  The  stones  of  the  wall  are  all 
of  one  kind,  and  contain  iron  ore.  They  are  of  various  sizes,  but 
generally  weighing  about  four  pounds.  All  are  of  a  long  figure, 
commonly  seven  inches  in  length,  sometimes  twelve.  The  ends  of 
the  stones  form  the  sides  of  the  wall ;  some  df  these. ends  are  square, 
others  nearly  of  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  triangle,  rhombus  or 
rhomboids;  but  most  of  them  are  inegular.  Some  preserve  their 
dimensions  through  the  whole  length,  c  thers  terminate  like  a  wedge. 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


235 


x  he  r  Iteruate  position  of  great  and  little  ends,  aids  ii^  keeping  the 
work  square.  The  surface  of  some  is  plain,  of  some  concave,  of 
others  convex.  The  concave  stone  is  furnished  with  one  convex, 
so  as  to  suit  each  other.  Where  the  stones  are  not  firm,  or  shelly, 
they  are  curiously  wedged  in  with  others.  The  most  irregular  are 
thrown  into  the  middle  of  the  wall.  Every  stone  is  covered  with 
cement,  which,  next  to  the  stone,  has  the  appearance  of  iron  rust. 
Where  it  is  thin,  the  rust  has  penetrated  through.  Sometimes  the 
cement  is  an  inch  thick,  and  where  wet,  has  the  fine,  soft,  oily 
feeling  of  putty.  The  thickness  of  the  wall  is  uniformly  twenty- 
two  inches,  the  length  discovered  is  rising  of  eighteen  rods,  and  the 
height  twelve  or  fourteen  feet.  Both  sides  of  this  are  plastered 
with  the  substance  in  which  the  stones  are  laid.  The  top  of  the  wall 
appears  to  run  nearly  parallel  with  the  top  of  the  groynd,  being  ge> 
uerally  about  a  foot  below  the  surface.  In  one  place  it  is  set^eral 
feet.  There  is  a  beud  or  curve  of  six  feet  or  more,  after  which  it 
proceeds  in  its  former  direction.  The  whole  appears  to  be  formed 
iu  the  most  skilful  manner.  Six  or  eight  miles  from  this  wall  an- 
other has  been  since  discovered,  forty  feet  long,  four  and  five  feet 
high,  seven  inches  thick  only.  The  stonei  of  this  wall  are  all  of 
one  length." — Universal  Geography,  p.  515. 

In  the  state  of  Tennessee,  which  is  situated  exactly  on  the  west- 
ern end  of  North  Carolina,  are  pIso  found  the  "  vestiges  and  re- 
mains of  ancient  dwellings,  towns  and  fortifications,  with  mounds, 
barrows,  utensils,  and  images,  wherever  the  soil  is  of  prime  quality 
and  convenient  to  water." 

The  bodies  of  two  of  these  people  were  discovered  in  the  autumn 
of  1810,  in  Warren  coMUty,  in  the  state  of  Tennessee ;  one  of  a 
man,  the  other  of  a  child,  to  appearance  about  four  years  old.  They 
were  four  feet  below  the  surface,  in  a  situation  perfectly  dry  ;  there 
being  a  mixture  of  copperas,  alum,  sulphur,  and  nilre,  in  the  soil 
that  covered  them.  Their  skin  was  preserved,  though  its  orignal 
complexion  could  not  be  ascertained ;  but  the  hair  of  their  heads 
was  of  an  auburn  shade.  The  child  was  deposited  in  a  basket, 
well  wrought  of  smooth  splits  of  reeds,  (arundo  gigmticu,)  and  se- 
veral singular  species  of  cloth,  as  well  as  deer  skins,  dressed  and 
undressed,  were  wrapped  round  and  deposited  with  them,  and  two 
feather  fans,  and  a  curious  belt. — Morse. 


"^^^vrr?  v'"'"!^'^ 


in 


i 


mo  AMERICAN   ANTIQUITItf 

From  the  discovery  of  se  two  bodien.  we  think  wc  ascertais 
the  inhabitants  to  have  been  white,  like  the  Europeans,  from  the 
colour  of  their  hair  ;  ias  it  is  well  known  the  Australasians,  Poly- 
nesians and  Malays,  as  well  as  the  common  Indians,  have  univer- 
sally black,  long  and  shining  hnir.  The  body  '"'hich  is  mentioned 
by  Professor  Mitchell,  late  of  New- York,  discovered  in  a  nitrous 
cave,  in  the  western  country,  had  red  or  sandy  hair  ;  such  was  the 
colour  of  the  hair  of  the  Scandinavians  of  the  north  of  Europe,  and 
are  supposed,  upon  authority  indubitable,  to  have  settled  at  Onon- 
daga, and  round  about  that  region.  See  toward  the  close  of  this 
work. 

The  wall  discovered  in  North  Carolina,  as  related  above,  is 
doubtless  a  part  of  a  wall  built  for  the  defence  of  a  town  or  city  ; 
the  rest  may  have  been  thrown  down  by  an  enemy,  or  it  may  have 
been  never  finished.  The  regular  manner  in  which  it  was  built 
and  laid  in  mortar,  shows  a  considerable  knowledge  of  masonry.  \ 
This  is  by  no  means  very  extraordinary,  as  in  Europe  a  consider- 
able knowledge  of  the  arts  was  in  possession  of  the  people  of  that 
country,  derived  from  the  Romans,  who  had  subdued  all  the  island 
of  England,  and  abandoned  the  country,  some  hundred  years  before 
the  time  of  the  Welch  expedition  to  the  west  of  Europe,  as  wo 
shall  relate  by  and  by. 

What  traits  of  iron  instruments  are  found  scattrred  over  this  coun- 
try, except  such  as  have  been  buried  or  lost  in  conflicts  and  battles 
with  the  Indians,  since  the  discovery  of  the  country  by  Columbus, 
is  to  be  attributed  to  these  Scandinavian  and  Welch  settlers  from 
the  old  country ;  the  latter  about  the  ninth  or  tenth  century,  and 
the  former  long  before. 

If  the  Welch,  as  we  shall  show,  a  few  pages  hence,  found  this 
country  about  the  year  950,  there  was  time  enough  for  them  to 
have  established  themselves  in  many  parts,  and  to  have  built  them- 
selves towns  and  cultivated  the  earth  to  a  great  extent ;  as  from 
about  950,  till  its  discovery  by  Columbus,  in  1 492,  would  be  not 
far  from  542  years  ;  a  longer  time  than  has  elapsed  since  its  last 
discovery  ;  and  also  time  enough  for  their  deserted  works  to  be- 
come covered  with  forests,  of  the  age  of  four  and  five  hundred 
years. 

According  to  Morse,  the  ancestors  of  the  Welch  were  tl  c  Cim- 
bri,  or  northern  Celts,  but  he  savs  the  Goths  from  Asia  havisc: 


AND  DISCOVCRIftS  tif  TUB  WKlf. 


J37 


«eized  od  Germany,  and  a  great  part  of  Gaul  ot  Fr  *.nee,  gradaallf 
repelled  the  Celts,  and  placed  colonies  on  the  island  of  Britain, 
three  or  four  centuries  before  the  Christian  era }  that  the  Romaas 
found  many  tribes  of  the  Belgae,  or  ancier  Germans,  i\beB  they 
first  invaded  that  island ;  consequently,  i  ji  only  the  Wekh,  but 
the  English  also  had  in  part  the  Qoths,  or  ancient  Germans,  for 
their  ancestors,  and  were  the  people  who,  as  wall  as  the  ScaBdiaa- 
vians,  discovered  America,  and  settled  here.  From  this  view,  we 
see  the  propriety  in  the  tradition,  which,  in  another  pkee  of  thi» 
volume,  we  have  related,  as  being  printed  in  a  Duteb  Bible,  more 
than  two  hundred  years  ago  in  Germany,  where  it  is  said  the  Ger* 
mans  discovered  America,  and  became  amalgamated  witk  the  Ivf 
diana.  It  may  be,  that  from  such  causes  as  these,  are  fousd,  far  to* 
the  west  several  tribes  of  white  Indians,  originated  from  Welch^ 
German  and  Scandinavian  ancestors ;  who  well  might  be  supposed 
to  have  had  not  only  a  knowledge  of  masonry,  sufiicient  to  buiSd 
walls,  but  of  iron  also ;  the  traits  of  which  are  found  in  many  pavts^ 
sufficiently  marked  by  oxydization,  to  throw  the  time  of  their  for- 
mation beyond  the  last  discovery  of  America. 

On  the  River  Gasconade,  which  empties  into  the  Missouri,  od 
the  southern  side,  are  found  the  traces  of  ancient  woi  ks,  similar  to 
those  in  North  Carolina.  In  the  saltpetre  caves  of  th  it  region,  and 
Gasconade  county  in  particular,  was  dicovered,  wh  ;n  they  were 
hrst  visited,  axes  and  hammers  made  of  iron  ;  which  ed  to  the  be- 
lic;f  that  they  had  formerly  worked  those  caves  for  th  i  sake  of  the 
nitre.  Dr.  Beck,  from  whose  Gazetteer  of  Misso'.ri  and  Illinois, 
page  234,  we  have  this  account,  remarks,  however,  "  it  is  difficult 
to  decide  whether  these  tools  were  left  there  by  the  present  race,  of 
Indians,  or  a  more  civilized  race  of  people."  He  says  it  is  unusu- 
al for  the  savages  of  our  day,  to  take  up  their  residence  in  caves ; 
considering  them,  the  plp'^ps  ^.o  which  the  devil  resorts ;  and  that 
they  are  not  acquainted  with  the  uses  of  saltpetre,  and  would  rath- 
er avoid  than  collect  it.  1  his  author  considers  the  circumstance  of 
finding  those  tools  in  the  nitre  caves,  as  furnishing  a  degree  of  evi- 
dence that  the  country  of  Gasconade  River  was  formerly  settles! 
by  a  race  of  men  who  were  acquainted  with  the  use  of  iron,  aud 
exceeded  the  Indians  in  civilizpuon,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  arts- 

"  But  there  are  other  fact,'   says  he,  "  connected  with  these, 


fifiAiif  TtTni/*n   fhern  /ton    Vj>  nA  mi«fa1ro 


TtA««V>«*      %««W*  % 


^     •««        W  ^ 


IVnf    for  A-nm     tKia  ^&vo.  is 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIEf 


1 


found  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  toifvn.  It  appears  to  bave  been  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  the  dimensions  of  the  squares,  streets,  and  some 
of  the  houses,  can  yet  be  discovered. 

Stone  Mralls  are  found  in  diiferent  parts  of  the  area,  which  are 
frequently  covered  with  huge  heaps  of  earth.  Missouri  joins  Ten- 
nessee on  the  west,  the  same  as  the  latter  does  North  Carolina ;  and 
from  a  similarity  '^l  the  works  discovered,  it  would  appear,  that  a 
population,  similar  in  manners  and  pursuits,  inhabited  a  vast  region 
of  country,  from  the  Atlantic  side  of  North  Carolina,  to  the  Mis- 
souri Territory. 

These  discoveries  rank  with  the  architectural  works  of  Europe, 
in  the  9th  and  10th  centuries ;  as  that  long  before  that  period,  the 
use  of  stone  work  had  be*  j  introduced,  even  in  the  island  of  Bri- 
tain, by  the  all  conquering  bands  of  the  Romans. 

If,  therefore,  the  Danes,  Welch,  Normans,  Icelanders,  Green- 
landers,  or  Scandinavians,  settled  in  this  country,  who  are  all  of 
much  the  same  origin,  tliere  need  be  no  great  mystery  respecting 
these  discoveries,  as  they  are  to  be  referred  to  those  nations  from 
Europe,  beyond  all  doubt.  The  ancient  monuments  of  a  country, 
says  Dr.  Morse,  are  intimately  connected  with  the  epochs  of  its  his- 
tory ;  consequently,  as  the  state  of  masonry,  or  the  knowledge  of 
stone  work,  discovered,  as  above  described,  in  North  Carolina,  Ten- 
nessee, and  Missouri,  is  of  the  same  character  with  those  of  Eu- 
rope, about  the  time  of  the  Dth,  10th,  lith,  and  12th  centuries,  we 
conclude  them  to  be  wholly  of  European  origin. 

About  ten  miles  from  the  spot  wh"*-''  the  relics  of  this  town  are 
discovered,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Gasconade  River,  is  also  found 
another  stone  work,  still  more  extraordinary,  as  it  is  evident  that  its 
builders  had,  indeed,  a  competent  knowledge  of  constructing  build- 
ings of  that  material.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  square,  and  although 
in  a  dilapidated  condition  appears  to  have  been  erected  with  a  great 
degree  of  regularity.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  bold  cliff,  which  com- 
mands a  fine  and  extensive  view  of  the  country  on  all  sides.  From 
this  stone  work  was  found  a  foot  path,  running  a  devious  course 
down  the  eliff,  to  the  entrance  of  a  cave,  in  which  was  found  a 
quantity  of  ashes.  These  antiquities  evidently  form  a  distinct  class, 
says  Dr.  Beck,  of  Avhich,  as  yet,  he  had  seen  no  description. 

Of  the  same  class  has  been  discovered  on  Noyer  Creek,  in  Mis- 
souri, the  foundation  of  a  large  stone  building,  fifty-six  feet  in  length, 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


980 


i;  and 
that  a 


and  twenty-two  in  breadth,  divided  into  four  apartments.  The  larg- 
est room  occupies  abou£  on^  h?}S  of  tits  whole  building,  and  is 
nearly  square ;  a  second  in  size  is  twelve  feet  by  sixteen,  a  third, 
four  by  sixteen,  a  fourth,  three  by  sixteen  feet.  The  outer  wall  is 
eighteen  inches  thick,  consisting  of  rough,  unhewn  stone*,  the  par- 
titions between  the  rooms  is  of  the  same  material,  of  equal  thick- 
ness w^th  the  outer  wall.  As  an  entrance  into  the  largest  room,  are 
two  door  ways,  the  second  in  size,  one,  and  the  same  of  the  two 
others — See  at  the  bottom  of  the  Frontispiece. 

About  eighty  rods  from  this  structure,  is  also  found  the  remains 
of  the  foundation  of  a  stune  building,  nineteen  feet  by  fifteen,  in 
size,  of  the  same  character  of  architecture.  One  large  oval  room, 
twelve  feet  by  twelve,  on  an  averaf.e,  occupies  the  centre,  with  a 
door  way,  and  at  each  end  of  the  room,  three  feet  by  i  'elve,  with- 
out any  door  way.  It  is  probable  the  largest  of  these  buildings  was 
the  palace  of  the  chief,  or  king,  of  the  tribe,  clan,  or  nation ;  where 
was  held  the  legislative  councils,   and  the  affairs  of  Government 

* 

were  transacted. 

The  second  building,  placed  at  the  respectful  distance  of  eighty 
rods,  was  probabably  the  prison  house,  and  place  of  execution,  which 
the  small  narrow  cells,  without  any  outside  door  way,  would  seem 
to  suggest.  The  prison  ;n  which  St.  Paal  was  confined  at  RomC) 
is  exactly  of  this  form  and  size ;  which  we  consider  a  remarkable 
coincidence,  unless  it  is  allowed,  this  American  prison  house,  as 
we  have  supposed  it  was,  had  been  fashioned  after  the  same  man- 
ner. 

We  have  an  account  of  this  prison,  which  was  built  several  hun- 
dred years  before  the  Christian  era,  as  given  by  a  gentleman  now 
making  the  tour  of  Europe.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"  All  parts  of  Italy  are  interesting  to  the  scholar,  and  many  parts 
to  the  Christian.  Thus,  near  Naples,  at  Puteoli,  I  saw  where  Paul 
landed,  and  I  travelled  between  Naples  and  Rome  on  the  very  same 
road  over  which  he  w  s  led  prisoner  to  Rome  ;  and  if  he  was  in- 
carcerated in  this  city,  (which  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt)  he  doubt- 
less lived  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  was  here,  in  his  own  hired 
house.  I  have  been  in  the  same  dungeon,  and  seen  the  very  pil- 
lar to  which  he  must  have  been  chained. 

The  prison  is  the  Mamertine,  the  name  and  history  of  which,  is 
familiar  to  every  one  acquainted  with  Roman  history,  as  it  was,  for 


f40 


AMBRfCAN  ANTiqVITIBS 


«  long  time,  die  only  prison  of  the  Romans.  It  consists  of  but  two 
apartments,  circular,  and  about  twelve  feet  diameter,  and  six  feet 
in  height,  tlie  one  over  the  other,  both  under  ground.  The  only 
entrance  to  them  originally,  was  through  a  small  hole  in  the  top  of 
each',  tbivugh  which  the  prisoner  must  have  been  let  down  with 
ropes,  passing  through  the  upper  to  reach  the  lower  prison.  These 
dungeons  were  large  eaough  for  the  Romans,  as  the  trial  soon  fol- 
lowed the  imprisonment  of  an  offender,  who,  if  found  innocent, 
vras  at  once  liberated,  but  if  guiliy,  immediately  executed." — Jour- 
nal aud  Telegraph,  Vol  IV.,No.  191.-1832. 

From  the  Romans  the  German  or  Belgic  tribes  may  have  derived 
their  first  ideas  of  ston''  work,  as  fr^m  the  Germans  the  Danes  de- 
rived the  same.  The  style  and  manner  of  this  building,  as  it  now 
appears,  in  its  ruined  state,  agrees  well  with  the  buildings  of  the 
ancient  Danes  of  the  north  ot  Europe,  in  the  lOth  and  11th  cen- 
turies ;  which  also  consisted  of  unhewn  stone,  laid  up  in  their  natu- 
ral state,  the  squarest,  and  best  formed,  selected,  of  course.  In 
these  buildings,  says  Morse,  were  displayed  the  first  elements  of 
the  Gothic  style,  in  which  the  ancient  Belgse  or  Germans  used  to 
erect  their  castles,  in  the  old  world,  eight  or  nine  hundred  years 
ago.  These  works  of  this  distinct  kind  of  antiquities,  are  nume- 
rous in  the  western  countries ;  the  regularity,  form  and  structure  of 
which,  says  Dr.  Beck,  favors  the  conclusion  that  they  were  the 
work  of  a  more  civilized  race  than  those  who  erected  the  former, 
or  more  ancient  works  of  America ;  and  that  they  were  acquaint- 
ed with  the  rules  of  architecture,  &c.,  of  Danish  and  Belgic  origin, 
and  perhaps  with  a  pr-rfect  system  of  warfare. 

At  present,  the  wdls  of  this  trait  of  ancient  times,  are  from  two 
to  five  feet  high,  the  rooms  of  which  are  entirely  filled  with  forest 
tre«s ;  one  of  which  is  an  oak,  and  was,  ten  years  ago,  nine  feet 
iti  circumference. — Beck's  Gazetteer,  page  30&. 


•^•' 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


241 


RUINS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  OTOLUM,  DISCOVERED  IN  AMERICA, 
.  OF  PERUVIAN  ORIGIN. 

In  a  letter  of  C.  S.  Rafinesque,  whom  we  have  L»efore  quoted, 
to  a  correspondent  in  Europe,  we  find  the  following:  "  Some  years 
ago,  the  Society  of  Geography  in  Paris,  offered  a  large  premium 
for  a  voyage  to  Guatimala,  in  South  America,  and  for  a  new  survey 
of  the  antiquities  of  Yucatan  and  Chiapa,  chiefly  those  fifteen  miles 
from  Palanque,  which  are  wrongly  called  by  that  name." 

"  I  have,"  says  this  author,  "  restored  to  them  the  true  name  of 
Otolum,  which  is  ijet  the  name  of  the  stream  running  through 
the  ruins.  They  were  surveyed  by  Captain  Del  Rio,  in  1787,  an 
account  of  which  was  published  in  English,  in  1822. 

'*  This  account  describes  partly  the  ruins  of  a  stone  city,  of  no 
less  dimensions  than  seventy-five  miles  in  circuit  ;*  length  thirty- 
two,  and  breadth  twelve  miles,  full  of  palaces,  monuments,  statues 
and  inscriptions  ;  one  of  the  earliest  seats  of  American  civilization, 
about  equal  to  Thebes  of  ancient  Egypt. 

"  At  Boliva,  in  the  same  country,  is  another  mass  of  ancient  ruins 
and  mine  of  historical  knowledge,  which  no  late  traveller  has  visit- 
ed or  desciibed  ;"  but  have  been  partly  described  only  by  the  first 
historians  of  those  countries  uf  South  America,  the  Spaniards ;  but 
it  is  hoped  ere  long  will  be  by  some  lover  of  this  great  subject. 

When  the  Spaniards  overran  that  country,  about  three  hundred 
years  ago,  among  the  Peruvians,  whose  territory  lies  on  the  west- 
em  side  of  South  America,  were  found  statues,  obelisks,  mausolea, 
edifices,  fortresses,  all  of  stone,  equal,  fully  so,  with  the  architec- 
ture of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome,  six  hundred  years  before  the 
Christian  era.  Roads  were  cut  through  the  Cordillera  mountains; 
golfj,  silver,  copper,  and  led  mines,  were  opened  and  worked  to  a 
great  extent ;  all  of  which  is  evidence  of  their  knowledge  of  archi- 
tecture, mineralogy  and  agriculture.  In  many  places  of  that  coun- 
try, are  found  the  ruins  of  noble  aqueducts,  some  of  which,  says 


*  Through  mistake,  on  page  117,  we  have  stated  these  ruins  to  be  only  24 
Biiles  in  circuit,  which  is  here  corrected. 

31 


342 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Dr.  Morse,  the  geographer,  would  have  been  thought  works  of  dif- 
ficulty in  civilized  nations.  Several  pillars  of  stone  are  now  stand- 
ing, which  were  erected  to  point  out  the  equinoxes  and  solstices. 
In  their  sepulchres  were  deposited  and  found  their  paintings,  ves- 
sels of  gold  and  silver,  implemeutii  of  warfare,  husbandry,  and  fish- 
ing nets. 

To  illustrate  the  architectural  knowledge  of  the  Peruvians  as 
well  as  ot  some  other  provinces  of  South  America,  we  quote  the  ifol- 
lowing  from  Baron  Humboldt's  Hc8earch«8,  1st  Vol.  Eng.  trans. 
Amer.  edt.,  p.  255.  *'  This  plate,"  referring  to  one  which  is  found 
in  one  of  the  volumes  of  his  Researches,  in  the  French  language  ; 
"  represents  the  plan  and  inside  of  the  small  building  which  occu- 
pies the  centre  of  the  esplanade,  in  the  citadel  of  Cannar,  suppos- 
ed to  be  a  guard  house.  I  sketched  'his  drawing  with  the  greater 
exaictnesB,  because  the  remains  of  Ft  an  architecture,  scattered 
along  the  ridge  of  the  Cordilleras,  from  Cuzco  to  Cajambe,  or  from 
the  13th  degree  of  north  latitude  to  the  equator,  a  distance  of  near- 
ly a  thousand  miles.  What  an  empire,  and  what  works  are  these, 
which  all  bear  the  same  character,  in  the  cut  of  the  stones,  <  c 
shape  of  the  doors  to  their  stone  buildings,  the  symmetrical  dia 
posal  of  the  niches,  and  the  total  absence  of  exterior  ornaments. 
This  uniformity  of  construction  is  so  great,  that  all  the  stations  along 
the  high  road,  called  in  that  country  palaces  of  the  Incas,  or  kings 
of  the  Peruvians,  appear  to  have  been  copied  from  each  other ;  sim- 
plicity, symmetry,  and  solidity,  were  the  three  characters,  by  which 
the  Peruvian  edifices  were  distinguished.  The  citadel  of  Cannar, 
and  the  square  buildings  surrounding  it,  are  not  constructed  with 
the  same  quartz  sandstone,  which  covers  the  primitive  slate,  and 
the  porphyries  of  Assuay  ;  and  which  appears  at  the  surface,  in 
the  garden  of  the  Inca,  as  we  descend  toward  the  valley  of  Gulan, 
but  of  trappean  porphyry,  of  great  hardness,  enclosing  nitrous 
feldspar,  and  hornblende.  This  porphyry  was  perhaps  dug  in  the 
great  quarries  which  are  found  at  4000  metres  in  height,  (which 
is  1,100  feet  and  a  fraction,  making  two  and  a  third  miles  in  per- 
pendicular height,)  near  the  lake  of  Culebrilla,  nearly  ten  miles 
from  Cannar.  To  cut  the  stones  for  the  buildings  of  Cannar,  at  so 
great  a  height,  and  to  biing  them  down,  and  transport  them  ten 
miles,  is  equal  with  any  of  the  works  of  the  ancients,  who  built 


r    fj'BJP'".;. 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


24*) 


the  cities  of  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  and  Stabia,  long  before  the 
Christian  ern ,  in  Naples  of  Italy. 

"  We  do  not  find,  however,"  says  Humboldt,  "  in  the  ruins  of 
Cannar,  those  stones  of  enormous  size,  which  we  see  in  the  Peru- 
vian edifices  of  Cuzco  and  the  neighboring  countries.  Acosto,  he 
says,  measured  some  at  Traquanaco,  which  were  twelve  metres 
(38  feet)  long,  and  five  metres  eight  tenfhs,  (18  feet)  broad,  and 
one  metre  nine  tenths  (6  feet)  thick."  The  stones  made  use  of  in 
building  the  temple  of  Solomon,  were  but  a  trifle  larger  than  these, 
some  of  which  were  twenty-five  cubits,  (43  feet  9  inches)  long, 
twelve  cubits  (29  feet)  wide,  and  eight  cubits,  (14  feet  thick,  rec- 
koning twenty-one  inches  to  the  cubit. 

And  who  is  prepared  to  disallow  that  the  ancestors  of  the  Peru- 
vians in  South  America,  did  not  derive  their  knowledge  of  stone 
cutting  and  building,  from  the  Jews,  in  the  days  of  Solomon,  a 
thousand  years  before  the  Chistian  era,  which  is  so  wonder  illy 
imitated  in  the  palaces  of  the  Incas. 

"  One  of  the  temples  of  ancient  Egypt  is  now,  Ir  its  tate  of 
ruin,  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference.  It  has  -:. .  .e  principal 
entrances.  The  body  of  the  temple  consists  of  a  p.odigious  hall  or 
portico  ;  the  roof  is  supported  by  134  columns.  Four  beautiful 
obelisks  mark  the  entrance  to  the  shrine,  a  place  of  sacrifice,  which 
contains  three  apartments,  built  entirely  of  granite.  The  temple 
of  Luxor,  probably  surpasses  in  beauty  and  splendor  all  the  other 
ruins  of  Egypt.  In  front  are  two  of  the  finest  obelisks  in, the  world ; 
they  are  of  rose  coloured  marble,  one  hundred  feet  high. 

But  the  objects  which  most  attract  attention,  are  the  sculptura 
which  cover  the  whole  of  the  northern  front.  They  contain,  on  a 
great  scale,  a  representation  of  a  vic^^ry  gained  by  one  of  the  an- 
cient kings  of  Egypt  over  an  enorv  The  number  of  human 
figures,  cut  in  the  solid  stone,  amounts  to  1 ,500  ;  of  these,  500  are 
on  foot,  and  1,000  in  chariots.  Such  are  the  remains  of  a  city, 
which  perished  long  before  the  records  of  authentic  history  had  a 
being." —  Malte-Brun. 

We  are  compelled  to  ascribe  the  vast  operations  of  the  ancient 
nations  of  this  country,  to  those  ages  which  correspond  with  the 
times  and  manners  of  the  people  of  Egypt,  which  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  history,  on  account  of  their  similarity. 


H* 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


It  should  be  recollected  that  the  fleets  of  king  Hiram  navigated 
the  seas  in  a  surprising  manner,  seeing  they  had  not,  as  is  suppoSF* 
ed,  (but  not  proven,)  a  knowledge  of  the  magnetic  needle ;  and  in 
some  voyage  out  of  the  Mediterranean,  into  the  Atlantic,  they  may 
have  been  driven  to  South  America ;  where  having  found  a  coun- 
try, rich  in  all  the  resources  of  nature,  more  so  than  even  their  na- 
tive country,  founded  a  kingdom,  built  cities,  cultivated  fields,  mar- 
shalled armies,  made  roads,  built  aqueducts,  became  rich,  magnifi- 
cent and  powerful,  as  the  vastness  and  extent  of  the  ruins  of  Peru, 
and  other  provinces  of  South  America,  plainly  show- 

Humboldt  says  that  he  saw,  at  PuHal,  three  houses  made  of 
stone,  which  were  built  by  thi.  Iccas,  each  of  which  was  more  than 
fifty  metres,  or  an  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  laid  in  a  cement,  or 
true  mortar.  This  fact,  he  says,  deserves  some  attention,  because 
travellers  who  had  preceded  him,  had  unanimously  overlooked  this 
circumstance,  asserting,  that  the  Peruvians  were  unacquainted  with 
the  use  of  mortar,  but  is  erroneous.  The  Peruvians  not  only  em- 
ployed a  mortar,  in  the  great  edifices  of  Pacaritambo,  but  made  use 
of  a  cement  of  asphallum  ;  a  mode  of  construction,  which  on  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  may  be  traced  back  to 
the  remotest  antiquity.  The  tools  made  use  of  to  cut  their  stone 
was  copper  hardened  with  tin,  the  same  the  ancients  of  the  old 
world  made  use  of  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  other  na- 
tions, of  which  we  have  spoken,  in  another  place  of  this  work. 

To  show  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  the  natives  of  Mexico,  be- 
fore America  was  discovered,  we  give  the  following,  as  but  a  single 
instance  :  Montazuma,  the  last  king  but  one  of  Mexico,  in  the 
year  1446,  forty-six  years  before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Co- 
lumbus, erected  a  dyke  to  prevent  the  overflowing  of  the  waters  of 
certain  small  lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  their  city,  which  had  several 
times  deluged  it-  This  dyke  consisted  of  a  bank  of  stones  and 
clay^  supported  on  each  side  by  a  range  of  palisadoes  ;  extending 
in  its  whole  length,  about  seventy  miles,  and  sixty-five  feet  broad, 
its  whole  length  sufliciently  high  to  intercept,  the  overflowings  of 
the  lakes,  in  times  of  high  water,  occasioned  by  the  spring  floods. 

In  Holland,  the  Dutch  have  resorted  to  the  same  means  to  pre- 
vent incursions  of  the  sea ;  and  the  longest  of  many  is  but  forty 
miles  in  extent,  nearly  one  half  short  of  the  Mexican  dyke.  "  A- 
Bsidst  the  extensive  pliir.s  of  Upper  Canada,  in  Florida,  near  the 


■W" 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


245 


Gulf  of  Mexico,''aad  in  the  deserts  bordered  by  the  Orinoco,  in 
Colombia,  South  America,  dykes  of  a  considerable  lengih,  weapons 
of  brass,  and  sculptured  stones,  are  found,  which  are  the  indica- 
tions that  those  countries  were  formerly  inhabited  by  industrious 
nations,  which  are  now  traversed  only  by  tribes  of  savage  hunters." 
— Humbeldi. 


I  I 


1 


'■Jf 


•;^i 


a- 


Wf^H.  AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


GREAT  STONE  CALENDAR  OF  THE  MEXICANS.  BEING  A  FAC 
SIMILE  FROM  THE  SAME  IN  HUMBOLDT'S  VOLUME  OF  RE- 
SEARCHES, 


This  stone  was  found  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Mexico, 
buried  some  feet  beneath  the  soil,  of  the  same  character  on  which 
was  engraven  an  almost  infinite  number  of  hieroglyphics,  signify- 
ing the  divisions  of  time,  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  the 
twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  with  references  to  the  feasts  and  sacri- 
fices of  the  Mexicans,  and  is  called  by  Humboldt,  the  Mexican 
Calen  '  r,  in  relief,  on  basalt. 

This  deservedly  celebrated  historiographer  and  a  ntiquarian,  has 
devoted  an  hundred  psges  and  more  of  his  octavo  work,  entitled 
"  Researches  in  America,"  in  describing  the  similarity  which  exists 
between  its  representations  of  astrology,  astronomy,  and  the  divi- 
sions of  time,  and  those  of  a  great  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Asia^ 
Chinese,  Japanese,  Calraucks,  Moghols,  Mantchaus,  an(J  other 
TartHr  naiious}  the  Egyptians,  Babylonians,  Persians,  Phoenicians, 


'W 


AND   DI8C0V£RIES   IN  THE   WEalT. 


247 


Greeks,  Romans  Hebrews,  and  ancient  Celtic  nations  of  Europe. 
See  the  American  edition,  by  Helen  Maria  Williams,  1st  Volume. 
The  size  of  this  stone  was  very  great,  being  a  fraction  over  twelve 
feet  square,  three  feet  in  thickness,  weighing  twenty-four  tons.  It 
is  of  the  kind  of  stone  denominated  trappean  prophyry,  of  the 
blackish  grey  colour. 

The  place  where  it  was  found  was  more  than  thirty  miles  from 
any  quarry  of  the  kind  ;  from  which  we  discover  the  ability  of  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  not  only  to  transport  stones  of  great  size,  as 
well  as  the  ancient  Egyptians,  in  building  their  cities  and  temples 
of  Marble,  but  also  to  cut  and  engrave  on  stone,  equal  with  the  pre- 
sent age. 

It  was  discovered  in  the  vale  of  Mexico,  forty-two  years  ago,  in 
the  spot  where  Cortez  ordered  it  to  be  buried,  when,  with  his  fero- 
cious Spaniards,  that  country  was  devastated.  That  Spaniard  uni- 
versally broke  to  pieces  all  idols  of  stone,  which  came  in  his  way, 
except  such  as  were  too  large  and  strong  to  be  quickly  and  easily 
thus  efiected.  Such  he  buried,  among  which  this  sculptured  stone 
was  one.  This  was  done  to  hide  them  from  the  sight  of  the  na- 
tives, whose  strong  attachment,  whenever  they  saw  them,  counter- 
acted their  conversion  to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 

The  sculptured  work  on  this  stone,  is  in  circles  ;  the  outer  one 
of  all,  is  a  trifle  over  27  feet  in  circumference  ;  from  which  the 
reader  can  have  a  tolerable  notion  of  its  size  and  appearance.  The 
whole  stone  is  intensely  crowded  with  an  infinity  of  representations 
and  hieroglyphics ;  arranged  however,  in  order  and  harmony,  every 
way  equal  with  any  astronomical  calendar  of  the  present  day.  It 
is  further  described  by  Baron  Humboldt,  who  saw  and  examined  it 
on  the  spot. 

"  The  concentric  circles,  the  numerous  divisions  and  subdivisions, 
engraven  in  this  stone,  are  traced  with  mathematical  precision ;  the 
more  minutely  the  detail  of  this  sculpture  is  examined,  the  greater 
the  taste  we  find  in  the  repetition  of  the  same  forms.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  stone  is  sculptured  the  celebrated  sign  nahui-olin-Tona- 
Huh,  the  Sun  ;  which  is  surrounded  by  eight  triangular  radii.  The 
god  Tonatiuh  or  the  Sun,  is  figured  on  this  stone,  opening  his  large 
mouth,  armed  with  teeth,  with  the  tongue  protruded  to  a  great 
length.  This  yawning  mouth,  and  protruded  tongue,  is  like  the 
image  of  jfiTo/a,  or  in  another  word,  Tinie,  a  divinity  of  Hindostan. 


I 


348 


AMP.RICAtf  ANTIQUITIES 


Its  dreadful  mouth,  armed  with  teath,  is  meant  to  show,  that  the 
god,  Tonatiuh,or  Time,  swallows  the  world,  opening  a  fiery  mouthy 
devouring  the  years,  months,  and  days,  as  fast  as  they  come  into 
being.  The  same  image  we  find  under  the  name  of  Molochj  a- 
mong  the  Phoenicians,"  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  a  part  of  Africa, 
on  the  southern  side  of  the  Mediterranean ;  from  which  very  country ^^ 
there  can  be  but  little  doubt,  America  received  a  portion  of  its  ear- 
liest inhabitants ;  hence,  a  knowledge  of  the  arts  to  great  perfjec- 
tion,  as  found  among  the  Mexicans,  was  thus  derived.  Humboldt 
says,  the  Mexicans,  have  evidently  followed  the  Persians,  in  the 
division  of  time,  as  represented  on  this  stone.  The  Persians  flourish- 
ed 1500  years  before  Christ. 

"  The  structure  of  the  Mexican  aqueducts,  leads  the  imagination 
at  once,  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean." — T/wwias'  Travels^ 
page  293.  The  size,  grandeur,  and  riches,  of  the  tumuli  on  the 
European  and  Asiatic  sides  of  the  Cimmerian  Strait,"  (which  unites 
the  Black  Sea  with  the  Archipelago,  a  part  of  the  Mediterranean, 
the  region  of  ancient  Greece,  where  the  capital  of  Turkey  in  Eu- 
rope now  stands,  called  Constantinople,)  "  excite  aftonishing  ideas 
of  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  people  by  whom  they  were  con- 
structed ;  and  in  view  of  labor  so  prodigious,  as  well  as  expendi- 
ture so  enormous,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  inhuming  a  single  body, 
customs  and  superstitions  which  illustrate  the  origin  of  the  pyra- 
mids of  Egypt,  the  cavern  of  Elephanta,  and  the  first  temples  of 
the  ancient  world." — Thomas*  Travels. 

But  whatever  power,  wealth,  genius,  magnitude  of  tumuli- 
mounds,  and  pyramids,  are  found  about  the  Mediterranean ;  where 
the  Egyptian,  the  Phoenician,  Persian,  and  the  Greek,  have  dis- 
played the  monuments  of  this  most  ancient  sort  of  antiquities  :  all, 
all  is  realised  in  North  and  South  America  ;  and  doubtless  under 
the  influence  of  the  same  superstition,  and  eras  of  time ;  having 
crossed  c  /er,  as  before  argued  ;  and  among  the  various  aboriginal 
nations  of  South  and  North  America,  but  especially  the  former,  are 
undoubtedly  found  the  descendants  of  the  fierce  Medes  and  Per- 
sians, and  other  warlike  notions  the  old  world. 

The  discoveries  of  travellers  in  that  c(^ntry,  show,  even  at  the 
present  time,  that  the  ancient  customs,  in  relation  to  securing  their 
habitations  with  a  wall,  still  prevails.  Towns  in  the  interior  of 
Africa,  on  the  River  Niger,  of  great  extent,  are  fcu&d  to  be  rar- 


T.<-7"?T 


&?n>  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


49 


rounded  by  walls  of  earth,  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the  "west, 
in  North  America.  .^A    j 

See  the  account  as  given  by  Richard  Lardner :  "  On  the  4t\i  of 
May  we  entered  a  town  of  prodigious  extent,  fortified  with  three 
walls,  of  little  less  than  twenty  miljis  in  circuit,  with  ditches,  oi 
moats  between.  This  town,  is  called  Boo-hoo^  aud  is  in  latitude  of 
about  8  degrees  4"^  minutes  north,  aud  longitude  5  degrees  10  min- 
utes, east.  On  thtj  17th  we  came  Xo  Roossa,  which  is  a  cluster  of 
huts  walled  with  earth." 

This  traveller  states  that  there  is  a  kingdom  there  called  Yaorie^ 
which  U  large,  powerful,  and  flourishing ;  a  city  which  is  of  pro- 
digious extent;  the  wall  suirounding  it  is  of  clay  or  earth,  and 
very  high,  its  circuit,  between  twenty  and  thirty  miles.  He  men- 
tions several  other  places,  enclosed  by  earth  walls  in  the  same 
manner. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  the  resemblance  between  these  walled  towns 
in  central  Africa,  and  the  remains  of  similar  works  in  this  country, 
America. 


CREAT  STONE  CASTLE  OF  ICELAND. 


In  Iceland,  which  is  not  far  from  Greenland,  and  Greenland  is 
not  far  from  the  coast  of  America,  .has  been  found  the  remains  of 
ancient  architecture,  of  no  less  dimensions  than  two  hundred  rods 
in  circumference,  built  of  stone,  the  wall  of  v>hich,  in  some  places, 
as  related  by  Van  Troii,  was  an  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high  this 
was  a  Norwegian  castle,  of  wonderful  strength  and  magnitude,  and 
of  the  same  character  with  ruins  found  in  thi.^  'Country. 

Iceland  is  but  an  hundred  and  twenty  miles  east  of  Greenland, 
and  Greenland  is  supposed  to  be  connected  with  America,  far  to  the 
north.  This  island  is  considerable  larger  than  the  state  of  New- 
York,  beitig  four  huudred  miles  in  length,  and  two  hundred  and 
seventy  in  breadth.  It  was  discover  '  by  a  Norwegian  pira^'^  na- 
med Nardoddr,  in  the  yeffr  8C1,  as  he  was  driven  out  to  s  .  'y  an 
eastern  storm,  on  his  way  Ai^m  Jjl^rway,  which  is  the  northern  pait 
of  Europe,  to  the  Feroe  islaiJds.^':  ,^   • 


250 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Ul) 


Soon  aftt'v  this,  in  the  year  870,  it  was  colonized  from  Norway, 
under  the  direction  of  a  man  named  Ingalf,  and  in  sixty  years  after, 
wluch  would  bring  it  to  939,  the  whole  island  was  inhabited-  But 
they  were  witho-'t  any  regular  govemmeBt,  being  dL^raoted  with 
the  >vars  ol!'  several  chiefs,  for  a  long  serier.  of  years,  dvi/ijjg  rtliich, 
Iceland  wa  i  a  scene  of  rapine  and  butch  .ry.  Jt  iis  nataral  ro  r.]ip- 
pose,  durinj  tuch  conflicts,  many  families, I'rora  dhxe  to  time,  '-wk.iW 
leavfc  the  island,  in  quest  of  sor;  '  otho  LUvellijjj.  Tais  m.';c  .vl 
their  power  to  do,  as  tbcy  hii  a  kijowledgc  :f  navigation, in  u  g«od 
degree,  derive 'I  from  tht  B;>raans,  at  the  tiiue  they  ruled  the  most 
of  Europe,  nine  li'mdred  jonry  before. 

That  Greeuland,  or  countries  ^ying  west  of  Icelaad;  ^jxislod, 
could  but  be  knowo  to  Icelaii'lcrs,  from  the  dights  of  birJs  of  pas- 
8a«;e,  i>nd  from  diiftwood,  which,  to  ; his  day,,  is  d-^n-^n,  in  Lirge 
qnantiti*:«,  from  America,  by  the  Gulf  Stream,  a,:' J  deposited  on  the 
wcsi".ra  coast  n''  that  island." — Morse. 

lii  ihh  way,  it  is  highly  probable,  the  first  Europeans  found  their 
ypij  to  Ani'jica,  and  became  the  authors  of  those  vast  ruins  built 
oi"  stone,  found  in  various  parts  of  America.  The  language  of  the 
Icelanders,  is,  even  now,  after  so  long  a  lapse  of  ages,  much  the 
same  with  that  spoken  in  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Norway;  so  that 
tbey  understand  the  most  ancient  traditional  history  of  their  ances- 
tors. The  characters  they  made  use  of  were  Runic,  and  were  but 
sixteen  in  number  ;  but  about  the  year  1000,  the  Latin,  or  Roman 
letters  superceded  the  use  of  the  ancient  Runic 

Dr.  Morse  says,  the  arts  and  sciences  were  extensively  cultiva- 
ted in  Norway,  at  the  time  when  Iceland  was  first  settled  by  them ; 
and  while  the  traces  of  literature  were  diminished,  and  at  length 
destroyed,  in  Norway,  by  the  troubles  which  shook  the  whole  north 
of  Europe  for  several  ages ;  they  were,  oa  the  contrary,  carefully 
preserved  in  Iceland. 

From  this  we  may  safely  infer,  that  America,  having  received  its 
first  European  colonies  from  Iceland ;  who  had  not  only  a  knowl- 
edge of  architecture,  in  a  degree,  but  of  navigation  also,  with  that 
of  science  ;  that  in  the  very  regions  where  villas,  cities,  cultivated 
fields,  roads,  canals,  rail-ways,  with  all  the  v  ry  of  the  pres'.^nt  age, 
exist  ak>ng  the  Atlantic  coast, — also  flourif/>!  he  works  of  a  former 
population — the  Danes,  Swedes,  and  Norv^  <:;s,  civilized  nations 
c<*ntun       efore  Columbus  was  bora    '         ho  have  passed  away, 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


351 


by  the  means  of  wars,  with  the  more  ancient  nations  of  Am,erica, 
or  with  the  common  enemy  of  both — the  Tartar  hordes  fi'roDi  Asia 
now  called  thf  American  Indians — leaving  for  ever  the  labor  of  ages, ' 
which,  here  and  there,  are  discovered,  the  relics  of  their  architectu- 
ral knowledge. 

An  hundred  and  twenty-one  years  after  the  discovery  of  Iceland, 
Greenland  was  discovered  also,  by  the  Norwegians,  who  ])Ianted  a 
colony  there  ;  and  in  a  little  time  after,  the  country  was  ^provided 
Dvith  two  Christian  churches  and  bishops ;  between  which  and 
Norway,  the  mother  country,  a  considerable  amount  of  commercf: 
was  carried  on,  <;iU  1406  ;  a  lapse  of  years  amounting  to  about  fowr 
hundred  and  eighty-three,  before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Co- 
lumbus ;  when  all  intercourse  between  the  two  countries  ceasetJ, 
occasioned  probably  by  the  convuls'ions  and  wars  of  Europe  at  tbat 
period. 

The  whole  of  that  population,  it  is  supposed,  was  lost,  as  no  tra- 
ces of  them  are  found ;  the  climate  of  that  region,  as  is  evident,  has 
since  undergone  a  great  change,  from  an  accumulation  of  ice  and 
snow  from  the  northern  sea,  so  as  to  render  the  coast,  where  those 
settlements  t/jere,  wholly  inaccessible. — Morse. 

Is  it  not  possible,  that  as  they  found  the  severity  of  the  weather 
increasing  rapidly  upon  them,  they  may  have  removed  to  the  coast 
of  Labrador,  and  from  thence  down  the  coast,  till  they  came  to  the 
region  of  the  Canadas,  where  are  discovered  the  traces  of  ancient 
nations,  in  vast  lines  of  fortifications,  as  attes'.ed  to  by  the  most  ap- 
proved authority,  Humboldt  and  others. 

• 


A  FURTH*:R  account  CT  EUROPEAN  SETTLEMENTS. 

There  are  the  remains  of  one  of  those  efforts  of  Scandinavian 
ccftnee,  suoated  on  a  hill  of  singular  form,  on  the  great  sand  plain 
between  ♦^e  Susqnebauuah  and  Chemung  rivers,  near  their  junc- 
tion. The  iiill  is  entin-ly  i'^olated,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in 
circumference,  and  mo  >j  than  an  hundred  feet  high.  It  has  been 
Rtinnosed  to  be    nrtifirial.    nnrl    in  Kclnn<T  ♦"  *1if*  nnpipnt  nations  to 


m. 


^57 


AMETRICAIV    ANTIQUITIES 


which'  all  works  of  this  sort  generally  belong.     Howeter,  the  i»- 
habitants  li  ving  round  it,  do  not  believe  it  to  be  artificial,  on  account 
of  large*  sto  nes  situated  on  its  bides,  too  heavy  to  have  been  placed 
■  there  by  man. 

In  the  surrounding  plain  are  many  deep  holes,  of  twenty  or  thir- 
ty rods  •circumference,  and  twenty  feet  deep;    favouring  a  belief 
that  from  them  the  earth  was  scooped  out  to  form  the  hill  with.     It 
is  four  acres  large  on  its  top,  and  perfectly  level,  beautifully  situat- 
ed to  overlook  the  country,  to  a  great  distance,  up  and  down  both 
rivers.     But  whether  the  hill  be  artificial  or  not,  there  are  on  it* 
top  the  remains  of  a  wall,  formed  of  earth,"  stone  and  wood,  which 
runs  round  the  whole,  exactly  on  the  brow.     The  wood  is  decayed 
and  turned  to  mould,  yet  it  is  traceable  and  easily  distinguished 
from  the  natural  earth.     Within  is  a  deep  ditch  or  entrenchment, 
running  round  the  whole  summit.     From  this   it  is  evident,  that  a 
■war  was  once  waged  here  ;    and  wt/e  we  to  conjecture  between 
whom,  we  should  say,  between  the  Indians  and  Scandinavians ; 
and  that  this  fortification,  so  advantageously  chosen,  is  of  the  same 
class  of  defensive  works  with  those  about  Onondaga,  Auburn,  and 
the  lakes  OntaiiO,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  Oneida,  and  Erie.     As  it  i» 
known,  or  not  pretended,  that  the  Scandinavians  did  not  make  set- 
tlements on  the  continent  earlier  than  985 ;  there  cannot  be  a  doubt 
but  they  had  to  fight  their  way  among  the  Indians,  more  or  less, 
the  same  as  we  did  when  first  we  colonized  the  coast  of  the  At- 
lantic, along  the  seaboard  of  the  New- England  states.     The  In- 
dians who  were  living  on  Taunton  river,  witness  to  this,  as  we  have 
already  noticed  in  another  place. 

But  as  these  Scandinavians,  Norwegians,  Scotch,  and  Welch, 
were  fewer  in  number  than  the  Indians,  and  without  the  means  of 
recruting  from  the  mother  country,  as  was  our  case  ;  they  at  length 
fell  a  prey  to  this  enemy,  or  became  amalgamated  with  them,  and 
80  were  lost ;  the  traces  of  whom  appear,  now  and  then,  among  the 
tribes,  as  we  have  shown. 

We  are  strongly  inclined  to  believe  the  following  articles,  found 
in  thf;  town  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y. ,  are  of  Scandina- 
vian origin.  In  Pompey,  on  lot  No.  14,  is  the  site  of  an  ancient 
burying  ground,  upon  which,  when  the  country  was  first  settled, 
was  found  timber  growing  apparently  of  the  second  growth,  judg- 
ing from  the  old  timber,  reduced  to  mould,  lying  round,  which  was 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   TUB   WEST. 


253 


the  in* 
ccounf 
placed 


an  hundred  years  old,  ascertained  by  counting  the  concentric  grains. 
In  one  of  these  graves  was  found  a  glass  bottle  about  the  size  of  a 
common  junk  bottle,  having  a  stopple  in  its  nuzzle,  and  in  the 
bottle  was  a  liquid  of  some  sort,  but  was  tasteless.  This  fact  was 
related  to  us  by  a  Mr.  Higgiiis,  some  time  sheritfof  Onondaga  coun- 
ty, who  both  saw  the  bottle  and  tasted  the  liquid  at  the  lime  it  was 
discovered. 

Eut  is  it  possible  mat  the  Scandinavians  could  have  had  glass  in 
their  possession,  at  so  early  a  period  as  the  year  950  and  thereabout, 
so  as  to  have  brought  it  with  them  from  Europe  when  their  first 
settlements  were  made  in  this  country.  We  see  no  good  reason 
why  not,  as  glass  had  been  in  use  nearly  three  hundred  years  in 
Europe,  before  the  nortliern  Europeans  are  reputed  to  have  found 
this  country  ;  the  art  of  making  glass  having  been  discovered  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  644.  In  the  same  grave  with  the  bottle,  wa? 
found  an  iron  hatchet,  edged  with  steel.  The  eye,  or  place  for  the 
helve  was  round,  and  extended  or  projected  out,  like  the  ancient 
Swiss  or  German  axe.  On  lot  No.  9,  in  the  same  town,  was  an- 
another  aboriginal  burying  ground,  covered  with  forest  trees,  as  the 
other.  In  and  about  the  neighborhood  of  this  burying  place  were 
often  ploughed  up,  from  a  depth  of  about  five  and  six  inches, 
hatchets  of  the  same  description.  In  the  same  towr,  on  lot  num- 
ber 17,  were  found  the  remains  of  a  blacksmith's  for  ;<>.  At  this 
spot  have  been  ploughed  up  crucibles,  such  as  mineralogists  \i<!e  in 
refining  metals. 

These  axes  are  similar,  and  correspond  in  character  with  those 
found  in  the  nitrous  caves  on  the  Gasconade  river,  which  empties 
into  the  Missoiiri,  as  mentioned  in  Professor  Beck's  Gazetteer  of 
that  country.  In  the  same,  town  a^-e  the  remains  of  two  ancient 
forts  or  fortifications,  with  redoubts,  of  a  very  extensive  and  formi- 
dable character.  Within  the  range  of  these  works,  have  been 
found  pieces  of  cast  iron,  broken  from  some  vessel  of  considerable 
thickness.  These  articles  cannot  well  be  ascribed  to  '*'"  "^^  of  the 
French  war,  as  time  enough  since  then,  till  the  regie.  ..;uijd  about 
Onondaga  was  commenced  to  be  cultivated,  had  not  elapsed  to  give 
the  growth  of  ^timber  found  on  the  spot,  of  the  age  above  noticed ; 
and  added  to  this,  it  is  said,  that  the  Indians,  occupying  that  tract 
of  country,  had  no  tradition  of  their  authors. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that,  a  few  pages  back,  we  have  notic- 
ed the  discovery  of  a  place  called  Estotiland,  supposed  to  be  No- 


■*Js::  ■■ 


354 


AMERICAN  ANTKiUITIES 


iJI! 


va-Scotia,  in  !854,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  Europeans,  who 
cultivated  grain,  lived  in  stone  houses,  and  manufactured  beer,  aa 
in  Europe  at  that  day.  Now,  from  the  year  1354,  till  the  time  of 
the  fiist  settlements  made  in  Onondaga  county,  by  the  present  in- 
habitaui8,  is  all  of  four  hundred  years;  is  it  not  possible,  therefore, 
that  th'«;  l'  \«  !)r.  'c,  with  some  kind  of  liquor  in  it,  may  have 
been  derived  (iota  this  Estotiland,  having  been  originally  brought 
from  Europe ;  as  glass  had  been  in  use,  more  or  less,  there  from 
tht-  year  644,  till  the  Scandinavians  colonized  Iceland,  Greenland, 
and  Estotiland,  or  Newfoundland.  The  hatchets  or  iron  axes, 
found  here,  were  likely  of  the  ^nme  origin  with  the  pieces  of  cast 
iron.  Here  too,  it  spj<ca.is,  were  stone  liuuses,  like  the  foundations 
found  on  the  Gasconade,  and  on  Noyer  Creek,  in  Missouri,  all  made, 
in  all  probability,  by  these  Europeans. 

In  ploughing  the  earth,  digging  wells,  canals,  or  excavating  for 
salt  waters,  about  the  lakes,  new  discoveries  are  frequently  made, 
which  as  clearly  show  the  operations  of  ancient  civilization  here, 
M  the  works  of  the  -resent  race  would  do,  were  they  left  to  the 
operations  of  time  for  five  or  six  hundred  years  ;  especially  were 
this  country  to  be  totally  overrun  by  the  whole  consolidated  savage 
tribes  of  the  west,  externinating  both  the  worker  and  hie  works, 
us  appears  to  have  been  done  in  ages  past. 

In  Scipio,  on  Salmon  creek,  a  Mr.  Halsted  has,  from  time  to 
time,  during  ten  years  past,  ploughed  up,  on  a  certain  extent  of 
land  on  his  farm,  seven  or  eight  hundred  pounds  of  brass,  which  ap- 
peared to  have  once  been  formed  into  various  implements,  both  of 
husbandry  and  war  ;  helmets  and  working  utensils  mingle  to- 
gether. 

The  <inder  of  this  brass,  we  arc  informed,  from  time  to  time,  as 
he  discos  -  red  ii  by  plouji  iig,  carried  it  to  Auburn,  and  sold  it  by 
the  pound,  where  it  was  worked  up  with  as  little  curiosity  attend- 
ing it,  as  th-j);;,h  it  had  betm  but  an  c  linary  article  of  the  coun- 
try's produce  :  when  if  it  had  been  announced  in  some  public 
manner,  the  finder  would  hav.^,  doubtless,  been  highly  rewarded 
by  some  scientific  indi  'duai  or  society,  and  preserved  it  in  the  ca- 
binets of  the  antiqur..  ,  a*;  a  relic  of  by-gone  ages,,  of  the  highest 
interest. 

On  this  field,  where  it  was  found,  the  forest  timber  was  grow- 
ing as  abundantly,  and  had  attained  to  as  great  age  and  size  as 
elsewhere  in  the  heavy  timbered  country  of  the  lakes. 


Ill 


AlTD   D     "^OVCRICS   IN   TkE   WCSt. 


10$ 


as 


In  the  lame  field  v  also  found  much  wrought  iron,  which  fur- 
nished Mr.  HalsteU  with  a  sufficiency  to  shoe  bis  horses  for  seve- 
ral years.  Hatchets  of  iron  were  also  found  there,  formed  in  the 
manner  the  ancient  Swiss  or  German  hatchet  or  small  axe  is 
formed. 

From  the  above  account,  we  cannot  resist  the  conclusion  that 
on  this  farm  in  Scipio,  was  situated  an  European  village,  of  Danes 
or  Welch,  who  were  cut  off  and  exterminated  by  the  fortunes  of 
war,  some  hundred  years  before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Co- 
lumbus ;  when  it  is  likely  their  town  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  of 
the  enemy,  their  articles  of  brass  broken  in  pieces,  and  in  the 
course  of  ages  became  buried  by  the  earth,  by  the  increase  of  vege- 
table mould,  and  the  growth  of  the  wilderness. 

If,  then,  we  have  discovered  the  traits  of  a  clan  or  village  of 
Europeans,  who  had  a  knowledge  of  the  use  of  brass  and  iron,  as 
the  Danes  certaii  y  had,  long  before  they  colonized  Icelai^d,  Green- 
land and  Labrador,  why  not  be  allowed  to  conjecture,  nay  more, 
to  believe,  that  many  others  in  different  parts  overspread  the  lake 
country  to  a  great  extent. 

On  the  Black  River,  running  from  the  northern  part  of  the  state 
of  New- York  into  Lake  Ontario,  a  man  was  digging  a  well,  when 
at  the  depth  of  seveial  feet,  he  came  to  a  quantity  of  China  and 
Delph  ware.     This  is  equally  surprising  with  the  field  of  brass. 

A  Mr.  Thomas  Lee  discovered,  not  long  since,  on  his  farm,  in 
Tompkins  county,  in  the  state  of  New. York,  the  entire  iron  works 
of  a  waggon,  reduced  to  rust.  From  this  discovery  much  might 
be  conjectured  respecting  the  state  of  cultivation,  as  a  waggon  de- 
notes not  only  a  knowledge  of  the  mechanic  arts  equal,  perhaps,  in 
that  respect  with  the  present  times  ;  but  also  that  roads  existed,  or 
a  wagon  could  not  traverse  the  country. 

If  one  waggon  existed,  there  were  doubtle n  many  ;  which  plain- 
ly shows  a  civilized  state  of  things,  with  all  the  conveniences  of 
an  agricultural  life  ;  which  would  also  requitt.'  towns  and  places  of 
resort — as  market  places  for  produce — or  a  waggon  could  not  have 
been  of  any  use  to  the  owner.  Anvils  of  iron  have  been  foand  in 
Pompey,  i  i  the  same  quarter  of  the  country  with  the  other  disco- 
veries, as  above  related  ;  which  we  should  naturally  expect  to 
find,  or  it  might  be  inqured,  how  could  axes,  and  the  iron  works  of 
waggons  be  manufactured  ? 


266 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


m 


On  the  flats  of  the  Genesee  River,  on  the  b  ■  1  ci  Mr.  Liberty 
Judd,  was  found  by  this  gentlcQian,a  bit  of  silver,  about  the  length 
of  a  man's  finger,  hammered  to  a  point  at  one  end,  w\nh-  the  other 
>vas  square  and  smooth,  on  which  were  cut,  or  engraved,  iu  Arabic 
figures,  the  year  of  our  Lord  COO. 

The  discovery  of  the  remains  of  a  waggon,  as  above  stated,  goes 
also  to  prove  that  some  kind  of  animal  must  have  been  domesti- 
cated to  draw  it  with — either  the  horse,  the  ox,  or  the  butfalo. — 
The  horse,  it  is  said,  was  not  known  in  America  till  the  Span- 
iards introduced  it  from  Europe  after  the  time  of  its  discovery  by 
Columbus,  which  has  multiplied  prodigiously  on  the  innumerable 
%vilds  and  prairies  oi  both  South  and  North  America ;  yet  the  track 
of  a  horse  is  found  on  a  mountain  of  Tennessee,  in  the  rock  of  the 
enchiinted  mountain  as  before  related,  and  shows  that  horses  were 
known   in  America  in  the  earliest  ages  after  the  flood. 

It  is  likely,  however,  that  the  Danes,  who  are  believed  once  to 
have  occupied  the  whole  lake  countr^  had  domesticated  the  bufla- 
lo,  as  other  nations  have  done,  by  which  they  were  aided  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  as  we  are  now  by  the  o\. 

J^rom  what  we  have  related  respecting  these  European  appear- 
ances in  America,  the  traits  of  a  Scandinavian,  Welch,  and  Scotch 
population,  it  is  clear  that  the  remark  of  Professor  Beck,  was  not 
made  without  suflicient  reason  ;  which  is  :  "  They  certainly  form  a 
class  of  antiquities  entirely  distinct  from  the  walled  towns,  fortifi- 
cations, barrows,  or  mounds."    Page  315. 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTEREN  ANTIQUTIES. 


fl 


But  as  to  the  state  of  the  arts,  among  the  more  ancient  nations 
of  America,  some  idea  may  be  gathered  from  what  has  been  already 
said.  That  they  manufactured  brick  of  a  good  quality,  is  known 
from  the  discoveries  made  on  opening  their  tumuli.  A  vast  many 
instances  of  articles  mude  of  copper  and  somteimes  plated  with  sil- 
ver, have  been  met  with  on  opening  their  works.  Circular  pieces 
of  oopp«r,  intended  either  as  medals  or  breast  plates,  have  been 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


267 


found," oeveral  inches  in  diameter,  very  much  injured  by  time. 
Iron  has  been  found  in  very  few  instauces  ;  having,  if  it  may  have 
been  never  so  abundant,  oxydized  in  the  course  of  ages.  However, 
in  several  tumuli,  the  remains  of  knives  and  even  of  swords,  in  the 
form  of  rust,  have  been  discovered. 

Glass  has  not  been  discovered  in  any  of  their  \vorks  except  one ; 
from  which  we  learn  at  once  that  these  works  were  made  at  least 
more  than  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago ;  as  the  manufacture 
of  glass  was  not  discovered  till  the  year  of  our  Lord  G64.  fiut 
there  iu  no  doubt  of  their  having  inhabited  this  country  from  the 
remotest  antitiuity,  drawn  from  data  heretofore  noticed  in  this  work* 
''  Mirrors  made  of  isinglaus,  have  been  found  in  as  many  as  fifty 
places,  within  my  own  knowledge,  says  Mr.  Atwater,  besides  the 
large  and  very  elegant  one  at  Circleville.  From  the  great  thick- 
ness of  those  niicae  mcmbraneca  Mirrors,  th^y  answered  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  were  made  very  well. 

Their  houses,  in  som^  iujtances,  might  have  been  built  of  stone 
and  brick,  as  in  the^  walled  towns  on  Paint  Creek,  and  some  few 
other  places,  yet  their  habitations  were  of  wood,  or  they  dwelt  in 
tents ;  otherwise  their  ruins  would  be  met  with  in  every  part  of 
this  great  country. 

Along  the  Ohio,  where  the  river  is,  in  many  places,  wearing  and 
washing  away  its  banks^  hearths  and  fire  places  are  brought  to  light, 
two,  four,  and  even  six  feet  below  the  surface,  these  are  also  found 
on  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum,  at  its  mouth,  and  at  Point  Har- 
man,  opposite  Marietta.  Two  stone  covers  of  stone  vessels,  were 
found  in  a  atone  mound,  in  Ross  county,  in  Ohio,  ingeniously 
wrought,  and  highly  poHshed.  These  covers  resembled  almost  ex- 
actly, and  were  quite  equal  to  vessels  of  that  material  manufactured 
in  Italy  at  the  present  time. 

An  urn  was  found  in  a  mound,  a  few  miles  from  Chillicothe, 
which,  a  few  years  since,  was  in  the  hands  of  a  Mr.  J.  W.  Collet, 
who  lived  in  that  place,  about  a  foot  high,  and  well  proportioned ; 
it  very  much  resembles  one  found  in  a  similar  work  in  Scotland, 
mentioned  in  Pennant's  Tour,  vol.  1,  page  154;  4th  London  edition, 
1790.  It  contained  arrow  heads,  ashes,  and  calcined  or  burnt  hu- 
man bones.  In  digging  a  trench  on  the  Sandusky  river,  in  alluvial 
earth,  at  a  depth  of  six  feet,  was  found  a  pipcy  which  displays  great 
taste  in  its  execution.     The  rim  of  the  bowl  is  in  high  relief,  and 

83 


sse 


AMERICAN  AI7TIQUITICff 


the  front  represents  a  beautiful  female  face.  The  stone  of  vrhkh 
it  is  made  is  the  real  talc  (jraphique,  exactly  resembling  the  stone 
of  which  the  Chinese  make  their  idols.  No  talc  of  this  species  19 
known  to  exist  on  the  we^  t  side  of  the  AlUghanies ;  it  must,  there- 
fore, have  been  brought,  at  some  remote  period,  from  SDme  part  of 
the  old  world. 

Fragn.ents  of  fishing  nets  and  mocasins,  or  shoes  made  of  a  spe- 
cies of  weed,  h£ve  been  found  in  'he  nitrous  caves- of  Kentucky* 
The  mummies  uhich  have  been. found  in  these  places,  were  wrap- 
ped in  a  coarse  species  of  linin  cloth,  of  about  the  consistency  and 
texture  of  cotton  bagging.  was  evidently  woven  by  the  same 

kind  of  process  which  is  still  practised  in  the  interior  of  Africa. 
The  warp  being  extended  by  some  slight  kind  of  machinery,  the 
woof  was  passed  across  it,  and  then  twisted,  every  two  threads  of 
warp  together,  before  the  second  passage  of  the  filling.  This  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  rude  method  of  weaving  in  Asia,  Africa  and 
America." 

If  so,  then  it  is  clear,  that  the  inhabitants  of  America,  who  had 
the  knowledge  of  this  kind  of  fabrication,  did  indeed  belong  to  an 
era  as  ancient  as  the  fast  people  of  Asia  itself,  and  even  btefore  the 
settlement  of  Europe ;  this  is  not  a  small  v/itiiess  in  favor  of  our  o- 
pinion  of  the  extreme  antiquity  of  those  ancient  works  of  the  west. 
Other  nations,  however,  have,  fiom  time  to  time,  mingled  among 
them  by  various  means,  as  we  have,  in  some  measure  recounted^ 
heretofore. 

A  second  envelope  of  these  mummies,  is  a  kind  of  net  work,  of 
coarse  threads,  formed  of  very  small  loose  meshes,  in  which  were 
fixed  the  feathers  of  various  kinds  of  birds,  so  as  to  make  a  per- 
fectly smooth  surface,  lying  idl  in  one  direction.  The  art  of  this 
tedious  but  beautiful  mjitiulaoture,  was  well  understood  in  Mexico, 
and  still  exists  on  the  northwest  coast  ui"  A..nerica,  and  in  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific.  In  these  islands  it  is  the  state  or  court  dress.  The 
third  and  outer  envelope  of  these  mummies,  is  either  like  the  one 
first  described,  or  consists  of  leather,  sewed  together. — Ameriean 
Antq.  Society. 

The  ma.'iufacture  of  leather  from  the  hides  of  animals,  is  a  very 
ancient  invention,  known  to  almost  ail  i;.e  nations  of  the  earth;  but 
to  find  it  in  America,  wrapped  around  niumniie.s,  as  in  several  in- 
stances found  in  nitrous  caves^  and  in  the  B'eniucky  caverns^  shows 


!»  • 


LVD   IDISCOyERIES   IN    THK   WB8T. 


IM 


whrcfe 
stone 
;tiesf  i» 
there- 
part  of 


«  knowledge  of  a  branch  of  the  arts,  in  the  possession  of  the  peo*. 
pie  of  America,  at  an  era,  coeval  with  the  Egyptians — as  the  art  of 
embalming  is  found  in  connexion  with  that  of  tanning  the  skins  of 
animals.  Respeeling  the  fact  of  leather  being  the  outer  wrapper  of 
some  of  the  mummies  discovered,  Mr.  Atwater  says,  his  awthority 
is  the  statement  of  Mr.  Clifibrd,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky  who  was 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society. 

There  was  a  small  vessel  found  on'  the  Ohio  tlats,  at  a  depth  of 
twelve  feet,  made  of  the  same  materials  with  the  viortars  now  in 
ose  among  physicians  and  apothecaries,  manufactured  in  Europe. 
It  holds  about  three  quarts,  comes  to  a  point  at  its  bottom,  has  a 
groove  around  it  near  the  middle,  with  two  ears,  though  a  chain  was 
probably  inserted,  so  as  to  suspend  it  over  fire,  as  it  has  on  it  the 
marks  of  that  element,  and  was  probably  a  crucible,  for  melting 
metals,  and  the  chain  handle  shows  the  ingenuity  of  its  construc- 
tion, by  its  being  placed  near  the  middle  of  tl-ie  crucible,  in  order  to 
produce  an  equipoise,  when  the  refiner  wished  to  pour  out  his  lead, 
his  iron,  or  his  silver :  However,  it  may  have  been  only  a  culinary 
vessel. 

Among  the  vast  variety  of  discoveries  made  in  the  mounds,  tu- 
muli and  fortifications  of  these  people,  have  been  found  not  only 
hatchets  made  of  stone  ;  but  axes  as  large,  and  much  of  the  same 
fihaoe  with  those  made  of  iron  at  the  present  day  ;  also  pickaxes 
and  j:estles,  see  plate  Nor  11  and  12  ;  with  various  other  instru- 
ments, made  of  stone.  But  bc&ides,  there  have  been  found  very 
well  manufactured  swords  and  knives  of  iron,  and  possibly  s/ec/, 
says  Mr.  Atwater, 

If  so,  this  also  is  an  argument  of  the  great  and  primeval  antiqui- 
ty of  those  settlements ;  for  we  are  to  suppose  men  knew  more  of 
iron  and  steel,  at  the  time  of  the  building  of  Babel,  than  in  after 
ages,  when  they  became  dispersed,  and,  from  peculiar  circumstan- 
ces, lost  that  peculiar  art,  and  therefore,  in  the  time  of  the  Greeks, 
in  the  year  1406  before  Christ,  it  was  discovered  anew.  From 
which  we  are  to  conclude,  that  the  primitive  people  of  America, 
either  discovered  the  use  of  iron  themselves,  as  the  Greeks  did,  or^ 
that  they  learned  its  use  from  this  circumstance ;  or  that  they  car- 
ried a  knowledge  of  this  ore,  with  them  at  the  time  of  their  disper- 
sion ;  as  received  from  Noah's  family,  who  brought  it  from  beyond 


260 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


the  flood,  discovered  in  or  before  the  days  cI  Tubal  Cain,  which 
was  only  about  600  years  after  the  creation. 

Dr.  Clarke  says,  that  from  the  manufacture  of  certain  articles,  in 
the  wilderuss,  by  the  Israelites,  iron,  and  even  steel,  must  have 
been  known,  which  was  an  age  preceding  its  knowledge  among  the 
Greeks,  nearly  an  hundred  years.  If  this  was  sOy  it  follows,  they 
must  have  learned  it,  or  rather,  they  must  have  borrowed  the  very 
instruments  of  iron  and  steel,  when  they  left  Egypt ;  as  they  had 
no  means  of  making  such  instruments  from  the  ore,  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

i  If,  then,  the  art  was  learned  of  the  Egyptians,  by  the  Israelites, 
the  knowledge  of  iron  and  steel  existed  among  that  people  r-  ort 
than  three  hundred  years  before  it  was  known  among  the  Greeks, 
and  perhaps  much  earlier,  as  that  the  Egyptians  were  ahead  of  all 
other  nations  in  arts  and  inventions. 


A.  DESCIPTION     OF   INSTRUME^TS   FOUND   IN   THE  TTMULI. 


■I" 


.  In  removing  the  earth,  which  composed  an  ancient  mound,  si- 
tuated where  now  one  of  the  streets  of  Marietta  runs,  several  cu- 
rious articles  were  discovered  in  1819.  They  appear  to  have  been 
buried  with  the  body  of  the  person  to  whose  memory  this  mouiid 
was  erected. 

Lying  immediately  on  the  forehead  of  this  skeleton,  were  found 
three  large  circular  ornaments,  which  had  adorned  a  sword  belt,  or 
buckler,  and  were  composed  of  copper,  overlaid  with  a  plate  of 
silver.  The  fronts,  or  show  sides,  were  slightly  convex,  with  a 
deep  depression,  like  a  cup,  in  the  centre,  and  measured  two  inches 
and  a  quarter  across  the  face  of  each.  On  the  back  side,  opposite 
the  depressed  portion,  is  a  cojjper  rivet,  around  which  are  two  sep- 
arate plates,  by  which  they  were  fastened  to  the  leather  belt. 
The  two  pieces  of  leather  resembled  the  skin  of  a  mummy,  and 
seemed  to  have  been  preserved  by  the  salts  of  the  copper  ;  tlie 
plates  were  nearlv  reduced  to  an  oxyde  or  rust^     The  sibcr  looked 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


261 


quite  black,  b\it  was  not  much  corroded,  as  oo  rubbing  it  became 
bright  and  clear. 

Around  one  of  the  rivets  was  a  small  quantity,  of  what  appeared 
to  be,  flax  or  hemp,  in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation.  Near  the 
side  of  the  body  was  found  a  plate  tf  silver ^  which  appeared  to  have 
been  the  upper  part  of  c  sword  scabbard  ;  it  was  six  inches  long, 
and  two  broad,  with  two  longitudinal  ridges,  which  probably  cor- 
responded with  the  edges  or  ridges  of  the  sword  once  sheathed  by 
it,  and  appeared  to  have  been  fastened  to  the  scabbard  by  several 
rivets,  the  holes  of  which  remain  in  the  plate. 

Two  or  three  pieces  of  a  copper  tube,  were  also  found  with  th'.s 
body,  filled  with  iron  rust.  The  pieces,  from  their  appearances, 
composed  the  lower  end  of  the  -scabbard,  near  the  point  of  the 
sword,  but  no  sign  of  the  sword  itself,  except  a  streak  of  rust  its 
whole  length. 

We  learn  from  this  that  the  person  who  was  buried  there,  was  a 
warrior,  as  the  sword  declares  ;  and  also  that  the  people,  of  whom 
he  was  an  individual,  were  acquainted  with  the  arts  of  civilized 
life,  which  appears  from  the  sheath,  the  flax,  the  copper,  and  the 
silver,  but  more  especially  as  the  silver  was  plated  on  the  copper. 
Near  the  iVet  was  found  u  piece  of  copper,  weighing  three  ounces, 
which,  from  its  shape,  appeared  to  have  been  used  as  a  plumb,  as 
near  one  of  the  ends  if  ii  crease  or  groove,  for  tying  a  thread  ;  it 
is  round,  and  two  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  one  inch  in  diame- 
ter at  the  centre,  and  an  half  inch  at  the  small  or  upper  end. 

It  was  composed  of  small  pieces  of  native  copper,  pounded  to- 
gether, and  in  the  cracks  beiween  the  pieces  were  stuck  several 
bits  of  silver,  one  nearly  the  size  of  a  sixpence.  This  copper  plumb 
was  covered  with  a  coat  of  green  rust,  and  was  considerably  cor- 
roded. 

A  piece  of  red  ochre,  or  paint,  and  a  piece  of  iron  ore,  which  had 
the  appearance  of  having  been  partially  vitrified,  or  melted,  was 
also  found  in  this  tumulus  ;  the  bit  of  ore  was  nearly  pure.  iron. 

The  body  of  the  person  here  buried,  was  kid  on  the  surface  of 
the  earch,  with  his  face  upwards,  and  his  feet  pointing  to  the  north- 
east, and  his  head  to  the  southwest. 

From  the  appearance  of  several  pieces  of  char:.;oal,  and  bits  of 
partially  burnt  scacovl,  and  the  black  colour  of  the  earth,  it  would 
app',!iir  that  the  funeral  obsennies  hud  been  celebrated  by  fire  •,  and 


2G3 


AMERICAN    ANTIilCITIBf 


that  wJiile  the  ashes  were  yet  hot  and  smoking,  a  circle  of  flat 
stones  had  hetn  laid  around  and  over  the  body,  from  which  the 
tumulus  had  been  carried  up. 

For  a  view  of  each  article,  the  reader  can  refer  to  the  Frontis- 
piece engraving,  by  obseiving  the  numbering  of  each  specimen. 

Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  6,  are  articles  found  in  the  mound  at  Ma- 
rietta, in  1819. 

No.  1.  Back  view  of  the  silver  ornament  for  a  sword  scabbard. 
No.  2.  Front  view  of  the  same. 

No.  3.  Front  view  of  an  ornament  for  a  belt,  with  a  silver  face. 
No.  4.  Back  view  of  the  same  ornament,  of  copper. 
No.  S.  A  plumb,  or  pendaut,  formed  of  pieces  of  copper  pound- 
ed together,  leaving  fissures  or  openings,  which  were  filled  with 
bits  of  silver  ;  an  implement,  as  to  its  shape,  resembling  the  instru- 
ments used  by  carpenters  and  masons,  now-a-days,  to  ascertain  per- 
pendiculars with,  and  was  doubtless  used  by  these  ancients  for  the 
same  purpose. 

No.  6.  A  stone  with  seven  holes,  like  a  screw  plate,  fourteen 
inches  long,  finely  polished,  and  very  hard  ;  this,  however,  was 
not  found  in  the  mound,  but  in  a  field  near  this  tumulus. 

Letter  A.  represents  a  small  keg  in  its  construction,  and  a  tea- 
kettle in  the  use  to  which  it  seems  to  have  been  put,  which  is  in- 
dicated by  its  spout ;  and  appears  to  have  been  made  of  a  compo- 
sition of  clay  and  shells. 

Letter  B.  Represents  the  ido!,  before  spoken  of,  on  pages  217 
and  218,  in  three  views,  a  front,  side,  and  back  view. 

Letter  C.  Represents  the  idol,  or  image  of  stone,  on  page  219. 
Letter  D.  Is  the  stone,  or  Shalgruviu,  described  on  pages  180, 
181,  and  182. 

Letter  E.  Represents  the  Triune  Cup,  found  on  the  Cany  fork 
of  Cumberland  River,  in  an  ancient  work,  about  four  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  drawing  is  an  exact  likeness,  taken  originally  by 
Miss  Sarah  Clifford,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky  ;  it  is  by  some  called 
the  Triune  Idol. 

"  The  object  itself  may  be  thus  described.  It  consists  of  three 
heads  joined  together  at  the  back  part,  near  the  top,  by  a  stem  or 
handle,  which  rises  above  the  head  about  three  inches.  This  stem 
is  hollow,  six  inches  in  circumference  at  the  top,  increasing  in  size 
as  it  descends.     The  heads  are  all  of  th$  same  dimension?,  beinc 


1I7D   DISCOVCRIES   IN   THE   WRIT 


asi 


>f  flat 
b  the 


■tbout  four  inches  from  the  top  to  the  chin.  The  face,  at  the  eyes, 
is  three  inches  broad,  decreasiniiT  in  breadth,  all  the  w&y  to  the  chin. 
All  the  strong  mHrks  of  the  Tartar  countenance  are  distinctly  pre- 
served, and  expressed  with  so  much  skill, that  even  a  lUodern  artist 
might  be  proud  of  the  perforraanct.  The  countenances  are  all  dif- 
ferent from  each  other,  and  denote  one  old  person,  and  two  youger 
ones.  The  face  ol"  the  eldest  is  painted  around  the  eyes  with  yel- 
low, shaded  with  a  streak  of  the  same  colour,  beginning  from  the 
top  of  the  ear,  running  in  a  semicircular  form,  to  the  ear  on  the 
other  side  of  the  head.  Another  painted  line  begins  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  eye,  and  runs  down  before  each  car,  about  one  inch. — 
See  the  right  hand  figure  ori  the  cujj,  or  image. 

The  face  engraved  alone,  is  the  back  view,  and  representt  a  per- 
son of  a  grave  countenance,  but  much  younger  than  the  preceding 
one,  painted  very  differently,  and  of  a  different  colour.  A  streak 
of  reddish  brown  surrounds  each  eye.  Another  line  of  the  same 
colour,  beginning  at  the  top  of  one  ear,  passes  under  the  chin,  and 
4inds  at  the  top  ot  the  other  ear.  The  ears  also,  are  slightly  tinged 
with  the  same  colour. 

The  third  iigure,  in  its  charaoteristical  features,  resembles  the 
others,  rtpreseuting  one  of  the  Tartar  family.  The  whole  of  the  face 
is  slightly  tinged  with  vermilion,  or  some  paint  resembling  it.  Each 
cheek  has  a  spot  on  it,  of  the  size  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  brightly 
tinged  with  the  same  paint.  On  the  chin  is  a  similar  spot.  One 
circumstance  worthy  of  remark,  is,  that  though  these  colours  must 
have  been  exposed  to  the  damp  earth  for  many  centuries,  they  have, 
notwithstanding,  preserved  every  shade  in  all  its  brilliancy. 

This  Tnune  vessel  stands  upon  three  necks,  which  are  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length.  The  whole  is  composed  of  a  line  clay, 
of  a  light  umber  colour,  which  has  been  rendered  hard  by  the  ac- 
tion of  fire.  The  heads  are  hollow,  and  the  vessel  is  of  capacity 
to  hold  about  one  quart. 

Does  not  this  cup  represent  the  three  gods  of  India — Brahma, 
Vihhnoo,  and  Siva  ?  Let  the  reader  look  at  the  plate  representing 
this  vesst:l,  and  consult  the  "  Asiatic  Researches,"  by  Sir  William 
Jones ;  let  him  also  read  Buchanan's  "  Star  in  the  East,"  and  ac- 
counts there  found,  of  the  idolatry  of  the  Hindoos,  and  he  cannot 
fail  to  see  in  this  idol,  one  proof  at  least,  that  the  people  who  raised 
licieut  works  were  idolaters  j  and,  thot  some  of  them  worship" 


£MIP    ur), 


'264 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


ped  gods  resembling  the  three  principal  deities  of  India.  What 
tends  to  strengthen  this  inference,  is,  that  nine  murex  sheila^  the 
same  as  described  by  Sir  William  Jones,  in  his  Asiatic  Researches, 
and  by  Symmes,  in  his  Embassy  to  Ava,  have  been  found  within 
twenty  miles  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  an  ancient  work. 

The  murex  shelly  is  a  sea  shell  fish,  out  of  which  the  ancients  pro- 
cured the  famous  Tyrian  jmrple  dye,  which  was  the  colour  of  the 
royal  robes  of  kings,  so  celebrated  in  ancient  times.  Their  compo- 
nent parts  remained  unchanged,  and  they  were  every  way  in  an 
excellent  state  of  preservation.  TheKe  shells,  so  rare  in  India,  are 
highly  esteemed,  and  consecrated  to  their  god,  Mahadeva,  whose 
character  is  the  same  with  the  Neptune,  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
This  shell,  among  the  Hindoos,  is  the  musical  instrument  of  thei^ 
7Htona.  (sea  gods,  or  trumpeters  oi  Neptune.)  Those,  of  the 
kind  discovered  as  above,  are  deposited  in  the  Mnseum,  at  Lex- 
in;;ton.  The  foot  of  the  Siamese  god,  GuduiU,  or  Boodh,  is  re- 
presented by  a  sculptured  statute,  in  Ava,  of  six  feet  in  length, 
and  the  toesoi  this  god,  are  carved,  !.'ach  to  represent  a  shell  of  the 
Murex. 

These  shells  have  been  found  in  many  mounds  which  have  been 
opened  in  every  part  of  this  country  ;  and  this  is  a  proof  that  a  con- 
siderable value  was  set  upon  them  by  their  owners.  From  these 
discoveries  it  is  evident,  that  the  people  who  built  the  ancient  works 
of  the  west,  were  idolaters ;  it  is  also  inferred  from  the  age  of  the 
world  in  which  they  lived  ;  history,  sacred  and  profane,  affords  the 
fact,  that  all  nations,  except  the  Jews,  were  idolaters  at  the  same 
time  and  age. 

Medals,  representing  the  sun  with  its  rays  of  light,  have  been 
found  in  the  mounds,  made  of  a  very  fine  clay,  tmd  colored  in  the 
composition,  before  it  was  hardened  by  heat,  from  which  it  is  infer- 
red they  worshipped  the  sun.  It  is  also  supposed,  that  they  wor- 
shipped the  raoou,  both  from  their  semicircular  works,  which  repre- 
sent the  new  moon  ;  and  also  from  the  discovery  of  copper  medals, 
round  like  the  moon  in  its  full,  being  smooth,  withont  any  rays  of 
light,  like  thoS(>  which  represent  the  sun.  The  worship  of  the  sun 
moon,  and  stars,  was  the  worship  of  many  nations,  in  the  earliest 
ages,  nut  only  soon  after  the  flood,  but  all  along,  contemporary  with 
the  existence  of  the  Jews  as  a  nation,  and  also  succeeding   the 


U  i 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


a6& 


What 

!//«,  the 

marches, 

within 


s 


Christian  era,  and  till  the  present  time,  as  among  the  pagan  Mex- 
icans. : 

Nos.  8,  9,  10,  11,  and  12,  represent  the  shapes  of  the  stone 
axes,  pestle,  and  other  articles  spoken  of  a  few  pages  back — See 
tlie  Plate. 

As  it  respects  the  scientitic  acquirements  of  the  builders  of  the 
works  in  the  west,  now  in  ruins,  Mr.  Atwater  says,  "  when  tho- 
voughly  examined,  have  furnished  matter  of  admiration  to  all  intel- 
ligent persons,  who  have  attended  to  the  subject.  Nearly  all  the 
lines  of  ancient  works  found  in  the  whole  country,  where  the  form 
of  the  ground  admits  of  it,  are  right  ones,  pointing  to  the  four  car- 
dinal points-  Where  there  are  mounds  enclosed,  the  gateways  are 
most  frequently  on  the  east  side  of  the  works,  towards  the  rising 
Sun.  Where  the  situatio»»  admits  of  it,  in  their  military  works,  the 
openings  are  generally  towards  one  or  more  of  the  cardinal  points . 
From  which  it  is  supposed  they  must  have  had  some  knowledge  of 
astronomy,  or  their  structures  would  not,  it  is  imagined,  have  been 
thus  arranged.  From  this  circumstances  also,  we  draw  the  conclu- 
sion, that  the  first  inhabitants  of  America,  emigrated  from  Asia,  at 
a  period  coeval  with  that  of  Babylon,  for  here  it  was  that  astronot- 
mical  calculations  were  first  made,  2234  years  before  Christ. 

"  These  things  could  never  have  so  happened,  with  such  invari- 
able exactness,  in  almost  all  cases,  without  design.  On  the  whole," 
says  Atwater, "  I  am  convinced  from  an  attention  to  many  hundreds 
of  these  works,  in  every  part  of  the  west  which  I  have  vi.sited,  that 
their  authors  had  a  knowledge  of  astronomy."  He  strengthens  his 
opinions  as  follows :  "  The  pastoral  life,  which  men  followed  in 
the  early  ages,  was  certainly  very  favorable  to  the  attainment  of 
such  a  knowledge.  Dwelling  in  tents,  or  in  the  open  air,  with  the 
heavenly  bodies  in  full  view,  and  much  more  liable  to  suffer  from 
changes  in  the  weather,  than  persons  dwelling  in  comfortable  ha- 
bitationsj  they  would,  of  course,  direct  their  attention  to  the  prog- 
nostics of  approaching  heat  or  cold,  stormy  or  pleasant  weather. 
Our  own  sailors  are  an  example  in  point.  Let  a  person,  even 
wholly  unaccustomed  to  the  seas,  be  wafted  for  a  few  weeks  by  the 
winds  and  waves,  he  will  become  all  ear  to  every  breeze,  all  eye 
to  every  part  of  the  heavens.  Thus,  in  the  curliest  ages  of  man- 
kind, astronomy  was  attended  to,  partly  from  necessity  ;  hence,  a 
knowledge  of  this  science  was  early  diftused  among  men,  the  proofs 

34 


fi- 
ll! 

5I 


I 

■■1 


iW 


It  ? 

t 

I ' 


H 


180 


AMr.BICAir  AITTI^VITIKf 


of  which  are  seen  in  their  works,  not  only  here,  but  in  every  part 
of  the  globe.  It  was  reserved,  however,  for  the  geniuses  of  modem 
times,  to  make  the  most  astonishing  discoveries  in  this  science, 
aided  by  a  knowledge  of  figures,  and  an  acquaintance  with  the 
telescope." 

Our  ancient  works  continued  into  Mexico,  increasing  in  size  and 
grandeur,  preser/ing  the  same  forms,  and  appear  to  have  been  put 
to  the  same  uses-  The  form  of  our  works  is  round,  square,  trian- 
gular, semicircular,  and  octangular,  agreeing,  in  all  these  respects, 
with  those  in  Mexico.  The  first  works  built  by  the  Mexicans, 
were  mostly  of  earth,  and  not  much  superior  to  the  common  ones  on 
the  Mississippi-"  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  works  of  this  sort 
over  the  whole  earth,  which  is  the  evidence  that  all  alike  belong 
to  the  first  efforts  of  men,  in  the  very  first  ages  after  the  flood. 

"  But  aftewards  temples  were  erected  on  the  elevated  squares, 
circles,  &c.,  but  were  still  like  ours,  surrounded  by  walls  of  earth. 
These  sacred  places,  in  Mexico,  were  called  "  /eoca//t,"  which  in 
the  vernacular  tongue  of  the  most  ancient  tribe  of  Mexicans,  signifies 
*'  mansions  of  the  gods.^''  They  included  within  their  sacred  walls 
gardens,  fountains,  habitations  of  priests,  temples,  altars,  and  maga- 
zines  of  arms.  This  circumstance  may  account  for  many  things 
which  have  excited  some  surprise  among  those  who  have  hastily 
visited  the  works  on  Paint  Creek,  at  Portsmouth,  Marietta,  Circle- 
ville,  Newark,  &c. 

It  is  doubted  by  many  to  what  use  these  works  were  put ;  whe- 
ther they  were  used  as  forts,  camps,  cemeteries,  altars,  and  tem- 
ples ;  whereas  they  contained  all  these  either  within  their  walls,  or 
were  immediately  connected  with  them.  Many  persons  can^^ot  im- 
agine why  the  works,  at  the  places  above  mentioned,  were  so  ex- 
tensively complicated,  difi'ering  so  much  in  form,  size,  and  elevation, 
among  themselves."  But  the  solution  is,  undoubtedly.  "  they  con- 
tained within  them,  altars,  temples,  cemeteries,  habitations  of  priests, 
gardens,  wells,  fountains,  places  devoted  to  sacred  purposes,  01  va- 
rious kinds,  and  the  whole  of  their  warlike  munitions,  laid  up  in 
arsenals.  These  works  were  calculated  for  defence,  and  were  re- 
sorted to  in  cases  of  the  last  necessity,  where  they  fought  with  des- 
peration- We  are  warranted  in  this  conclusion,  by  knowing  that 
these  works  are  exactly  similar  to  the  most  ancient  now  to  be  seen 
in  Mexico,  connected  with  the  fact,  that  the  Mexicwi  works  did 


AND   DI8C0VEKIBI-  1»   THE   WEST. 


S6T 


cience, 
ith  the 


GREAT  SIZE  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MEXICAN  MOUNDS. 


The  word  TeocaUi,  Humboldt  says,  is  derived  from  the  name  of 
one  of  the  gods  to  which  they  were  dedicated,  Tezcatlipoca,  the 
Brahma  of  the  Mexicans.  The  pyramid  of  Cholula,  was  seated 
on  a  tumulus  with  four  stag«>o^  and  was  dedicated  to  QuetzalcotI, 
one  of  the  mysterious  characters  that  appeared  among  the  ancient 
Mexicans,  said  to  have  been  a  ivhite  and  bearded  man,  before  spoken 
of  in  this  work. 

The  Teocalliy  or  pyraraid  of  Cholula,  is  sixty  rods  in  circumfe- 
rence, and  ten  rods  high.  In  the  vale  of  Mexico,  twenty-four  miles 
northeast  from  the  capital,  in  a  plain  that  bears  the  name  of  Mi- 
coati,  or  the  path  of  the  dead,  is  a  group  of  pyramids,  of  several 
hundred  in  number,  generally  about  thirty  feet  high. 

In  the  midst  of  these  are  two  large  pyramids,  one  dedicated  to 
the  Sun,  the  other  to  the  Moon.  The  sun  pyramid  is  ten  rods  thir- 
teen feet  high,  and  its  length  nearly  thirty-five  rods,  and  of  a  pro- 
portionable thickness,  as  it  is  not  a  circle  ;  that  of  the  moon  is  eight 
rods  and  eleven  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  but  its  base  is  not 
specified  by  Humboldt ;  from  whose  Researches  in  South  America, 
we  have  derived  this  information. 

The  small  pyramids,  which  surrounded  the  two  (?3dicated  to  the 
sun  and  moon,  are  divided  h-;  spacious  streets,  running  exactly 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  Jtersecting  each  other  at  right  ac> 
gles,  forming  one  graad  palace  of  worship,  land  of  the  dead.  It 
is  the  tradition  of  the  Mexicans,  that  in  the  small  tumuli,  or  pyr- 
amids, were  buried  the  chiefs  of  their  tribes.  We  also  here  ascer- 
tain that  the  builders  of  theso  two  vast  houses  of  the  sun  and  moon, 
had  indeed  a  knowledge  of  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass  ;  for 
this  arrangement  could  never  have  taken  place  from  mere  chance, 
it  must  have  been  the  result  of  calculation,  with  the  north  star,  or 
pole,  in  view.  On  the  top  of  those  theocallis,  were  two  colossal 
statues  of  the  sun  and  mooi  made  of  stone,  and  covered  with 
plates  of  gold,  of  which  they  wpre  stripped  by  the  soldiers  of  Cor- 


266 


AMERICAN  AMiqiJlTIES 


I 


I 


tcz.     Such  were  some  of  the  pyrami'ls  of  Fg}])t,  with  co:..:^,al 
statues. 

T'  's  uo.uendous  work  is  much  similar  to  one  found  in  Fciypt, 
called  the  "  Cheops  and  the  Myeerinus ;"  .  'uid  about  which  were 
eight  small  pyramids  ;  only  the  Egyptia?i  ik  is  much  less  than 
the  p-exican  one,  yet  their  fashion  is  the  same. 


PREDILECTION  OF  THE  ANCIENTS  TO  PYRAMIDS. 

In  those  early  ages  of  mankind,  it  i".  evident  there  existed  an  un- 
accountable ambition  among  the  nations,  seemingly  to  outdo  each 
other  in  the  height  of  their  pyramids  ;  for  1  jraboldt  mentions  the 
pyramids  of  Porsenna,  as  related  by  ^^arro,  styled  the  most  learned 
of  the  Romans,  who  flourished  about  the  time  of  Christ ;  and  says 
there  were,  at  this  place,  four  pyramids,  eighty  meters  in  height, 
which  is  a  fraction  more  than  fifteen  rods  perpendicular  altitude  ; 
the  meter  is  a  French  meu^ure,  consisting  of  3  feet  3  inches. 

Not  many  years  since  was  discovered,  by  some  Spanifjh  hunters, 
or.  (Jjscendiug  the  Cordilleras,  towards  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  the 
i\:''"X  forest,  the  pyramid  of  Papantla.  The  form  of  this  teocalli,  or 
pyyamid,  which  had  seven  stories,  is  more  tapering  than  any  other 
monument  of  this  kind,  yet  discovered,  but  its  height  is  not  remark- 
able ;  being  but  fifty-seven  feet,  its  base  but  twenty-five  feet  on 
each  side.  However,  it  is  remarkable  on  one  account ;  it  is  built 
entirely  of  hewn  stones,  of  an  extraordinary  size,  and  very  beauti- 
fully shaped.  Three  stair-cases  lead  to  its  top  ;  the  steps  of  which 
were  decorated  with  hieroglyphical  sculpture  and  small  niches, 
arranged  with  gmat  symmetry.  The  number  of  these  niches 
seems  to  allude  to  the  three  hundred  and  eighteen  simple  and  com- 
pound signs  of  the  days  of  their  civil  calendar.  If  so,  this  monu- 
ment was  erected  for  astronomical  puiposes ;  besides,  here  is  evi- 
dence of  the  use  of  metalic  tools  in  the  preparation  and  building  of 
this  temple. 

In  those  mounds  were  sometimes  hidden  the  treasures  of  kings 
and  chiefs,  placed  there  in  times  of  war  and  danger.     Such  was 


V 


AND   BUCOVCRIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


S6» 


found  to  be  the  fact  on  opening  the  tomb  of  a  Peruvian  prince, 
when  was  discovered  a  mass  of  pure  gold,  amounting  to  four  mil- 
lions, six  hundred  and  eighty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 
— HumboldCs  Researclica^vol.  \,p.  92. 

The  pyramids  of  the  Ohio  are,  in  several  instances,  built  in  the 
same  manner,  with  several  stages,  on  I'"-  tops  of  which  were,  un- 
questionably, temples  of  wood,  it»  the  du)  of  their  glory,  when  their 
builders  swarmed  in  populous  ten  thousands,  over  all  the  unbound- 
ed west ;  but  time  has  <^  str'  '  all  fabrics  of  this  sort,  while  the 
mounds  on  which  they  oot' 
ped  of  the  habiliments  of  cb 
art. 

There  is,  in  South  Amenv  a, 
uuvaca,  on  the  west  declivity  oi 


gi  adeur,  remain,  but  strip- 
and  the  embellishmeDts  of 

southeast  of  the  city  of  Cuer- 
>ordillera  of  Anahuac,  an  iso- 


lated hill,  which,  together  with  ;iie  pyramid,  raised  on  its  top  by 
the  ancients  of  that  country,  amounts  to  thirty-five  rods  ten  feet, 
in  perpendicular  height.  The  ancient  tower  of  Babel,  around  which 
the  city  of  Babylon  was  afterwards  built,  was  six  liundred  feet  high, 
which  is  but  thirty  feet  higher  than  the  hill  we  are  clescribing;  but 
the  base  of  Babel  is  a  mere  nothing,  compared  with  the  gigantic 
work  of  Anahuac,  being  but  six  hundred  feet  square,  which  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  rods,  or  nearly  so  ;  while  the  hill  in  South  Ame- 
rica, partly  natural  and  partly  artificial,  is  at  its  base  12,066  feet ; 
this  thrown  into  rods,  gives  seven  hundred  and  fifty-four,  and  into 
miles,  is  two  and  a  quarter,  and  a  half  quarter,  wanting  eight  rods, 
which  is  five  times  greater  than  that  of  Babel. 

The  hill  of  Xochicalco  is  a  mass  of  rocks,  to  which  the  hand  of 
man  has  given  a  regular  conic  form,  and  which  is  divided  into  five 
stories  or  terraces,  each  of  which  is  covered  with  masonry.  These 
terraces  are  nearly  sixty  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  one  above 
the  other,  besides  the  artificial  mound  added  at  the  top,  making  its 
height  nearly  that  of  Babel ;  besides,  the  whole  is  surrounded  with 
a  deep  broad  ditch,  more  than  five  tiuies  the  circumference  of  that 
Babylonian  tower. 

Humboldt  says  we  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at  the  magnitude 
and  dimensions  of  this  work,  as  on  the  ridge  of  the  Cordilleras  of 
Peru,  and  on  other  heights,  almost  equal  to  that  of  Tenerift'e,  he 
had  seen  monuments  still  more  considerable,  Also  in  Canada,  he 
had  seen  lines  of  defence,  and   entrenchments  of  extraordinary 


..  v'j 


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Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


ro 


AMERICAN  IMIQUITIEI 


length,  tbe  work  of  tocue  people  belonging  to  the  early  ages  of  time' 
Those  in  Canada,  hoT/ever,  we  imagine  to  be  of  Danish  o'^gin,  and 
to  have  been  erected  in  the  9th,  10th,  and  11th  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era,  for  reasons  hereafter  shown. 

If  then,  as  Humboldt  states,  there  were  found  on  the  plains  of 
Canada,  lines  of  defence  of  extraordinary  length,  it  affords  an  argu« 
ment  th&t  the  Norwegians  and  other  northern  nations,  may  not  only 
have  made  ^tllementa  there,  but  became  a  kingdom,  a  body  poli- 
tic and  militai^  and  waged  long  and  dreadful  wars  with  opposing 
powers,  who  were  unquestionably  the  Indians,  who  had  already 
driven  away  the  more  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  tbe  authors 
of  the  western  works,  mounds  and  tumuli.  But  respecting  be  tre- 
mendous monument  of  art,  found  by  tbe  hunters,  which  we  have 
described  above,  it  is  said  that  travellers,  who  have  attentively  ex- 
amined it,  were  struck  with  tbe  polish  and  cut  of  the  stones,  the 
care  with  Which  they  have  been  arranged,  without  cement  between 
the  joints,  and  the  execution  of  tbe  sculpture,  with  which  the  stones 
are  decorated ;  each  figure  occupying  several  stones,  and  from  the 
outlines  of  the  animals  which  they  represent,  not  being  broken  by 
the  joints  of  the  stones,  it  is  conjectured  tbe  engravings  were  made 
after  tbe  edifice  was  finished.  But  tbe  animals  and  men  sculptured 
on  tbe  stone  of  this  pyramid,  afford  a  strong  evidence  of  the  coun- 
try fhom  which  the  ancestors  of  those  who  builf  it  came.  There 
are  crocodiles  spouting  water,  and  men  sitting  even  cross  legged , 
according  to  the  cu^om  of  several  Asiatic  nations ;  finally,  tbe  whcie 
of  the  American  works,  of  tbe  most  ancient  class,  from  Canada  to 
the  extreme  parts  of  South  America,  resemble  those  which  are  daily 
discovered  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Asia. 

From  the  deep  ditch,  with  which  tbe  greater  monument  we  have 
been  describing,  is  surrounded,  the  covering  of  the  terraces,  the 
great  number  of  subterranean  apartments,  cut  into  the  solid  rock, 
on  its  northern  side,  the  wall  that  defends  the  approach  to  its  base, 
— it  is  believed  to  have  been  a  military  work  of  great  strength. 

The  natives,  even  to  this  day,  designate  the  ruins  of  this  pyramid 
by  the  name  that  signifies  a  citadel  or  castle.  The  pyramid  of 
Mexitli,  found  in  another  part  of  Mexico,  called  the  great  temple 
of  Tenochtitlan,  contained  an  arsenal,  and  during  the  war  of  the 
Spaniards  with  the  devoted  Mexicans,  was  altern&tely  resorted  to  a» 
a  fort  of  defence,  and  a  place  security. 


AND  DIieOTERIES  VX  THK  WEIT. 


S71 


Nothing,  of  the  warlike  character,  could  exceed  the  grandeur  of 
«  fight  maintained  from  the  base  to  the  summit  of  one  of  these  tre- 
mendoes  Teocalis,  or  pyramids.  We  may  suppose  the  foe  already 
gathered  from  their  more  scattered  work  of  ruiu,  aod  circling,  with 
yells  of  fury,  the  immediate  precincts  of  the  mound,  while  the 
rushing  multiude  fly  from  their  burning  habitations,  toward  this 
'dernier  resort.  The  goal  is  gained  ;  the  first  who  roach  it,  ascend 
to  its  top ;  rank  after  rank  succeed,  till,  in  frightful  circles  of  fero- 
•cious  warriors^  the  whole  pyramid  is  but  one  living  mass  of  fury. 
Now  the  enemy  come  pouring  round  as  a  deluge,  and  begirt  this 
last  resort  of  the  wailing  populace ;  while  warrior  facing  warrior, 
«ach  moment  fells  its  thousands  by  the  noiseless  death  stab  of  the 
dirk  of  copper ;  while  from  the  ^-^nks  above  the  silent,  but  venge- 
ful arrow  does  its  work  of  death.  Here,  from  the  strong  arm  and 
well  practised  sling,  stones,  with  furious  whizzing,  through  the  air, 
cover  in  showers  the  distant  squadron  with  dismay.  Circle  after 
circle,  at  the  base,  both  of  invader  and  invaded,  fall  together  in  glo- 
rious ruin.  Now  the  top  where  waved  such  signals  of  defiance  as 
rude  nations  could  invent,  becomes  thinned  of  its^defenders;  who, 
pressing  downward,  as  the  lower  ranges  are  cut  in  pieces,  renew 
the  fight.  Now  the  farthest  ciicle  of  the  enemy  nears  the  fatal 
centre  ;  now  the  destinies  of  conflicting  nations  draw  nigh  ;  those 
of  the  pyramid  have  thrown  their  last  stone  ;  the  quiver  is  emptied 
of  its  arrows ;  the  last  spear  of  flint  and  battle-axe,  have  fled,  with 
well-directed  aim,  amid  the  throng. 

Surrender,  captivity,  slavery,  and  death,  wind  up  the  account ; 
a  tribe  becomes  extinct,  whose  bones,  when  heaped  together,  make 
a  new  pyrtimid.  Such,  doubtless,  is  the  origin  of  many  of  the 
frightful  heaps  of  human  bones  found  scattered  over  all  the  west. 

We  learn  from  Scripture,  that  in  the  earliest  tiir  es,  the  temples 
of  Asia — such  as  that  of  Baal-Berith,  at  Shechim,  in  Canaan — were 
not  only  buildings  consecrated  to  worship,  but  also  intrench  ments, 
in  which  the  inhabitants  of  a  city  defended  themselves  in  times  of 
war.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Grecian  temples ;  for  the  wall 
which  formed  the  parabolis,  alone  aflbrded  an  assylum  to  the  be- 
•ieged. — Humboldt.   .  ,  :•    ,■  >    ., 

The  religious  rites  of  those  who  made  the  western  mounds,  it  is 
believed,  were  the'  same  with  those  of  Mexico  and  Peru.  This 
is  presumed  from  the  tbundanoe  tif  minors^  rnadu  of  isinglaN,  dis- 


vra 


AMERICAN  AMTI(iUItlB« 


covered  on  opening  the  round,  the  square,  and  the  circumvallatory 
monuments  of  North  America.  The  one  at  Circleville  was  quite 
entire,  very  large  and  thick ;  pieces  of  others  have  been  discovered, 
in  nearly  all  other  tumuli,  wherever  they  have  been  opened.  That 
they  were  used  as  mirrors,  appears  highly  probable  from  their  shapo 
and  size.  One  of  the  three  principal  gods  of  the  South  Americans 
was  called  by  a  name  which  signifies,  ''  the  God  of  the  shining 
Mirror."  He  was  supposed  to  be  a  god  who  reflected  his  own 
supreme  perfections,  and  was  represented  by  a  mirror,  which  wa^ 
made  in  that  country,  of  polished  obsidian,  (a  stone  of  a  beautiful 
kind,  susceptible  of  a  high  polish,)  or  of  Mica,  (isinglass,)  like  ours. 
The  scarcity  of  obsidian,  which  is  a  volcanic  production,  may  well 
account  for  the  absence  of  mirrors  of  obsidian  in  the  west- 

This  deity  was  represented  as  enjoying  perpetual  youth  and 
beauty.  Other  gods  had  images,  placed  on  pedestals,  in  the  Mexi- 
can temples ;  but  the  god  of  the  shining  mirror,  had  a  mirror  placed 
on  his.  This  divinity  was  held  in  awful  veneration  ;  supposed  to 
be  the  great  unknown  God  of  the  universe.  Who  does  not  here 
discover  a  strong  trace  of  a  knowledge  of  the  trtte  God,  derived  by 
tradition  from  the  first  patriarchs ! 

Ciavigero,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Mex- 
icans and  Peruvians,  professes  to  point  out  the  places  from  whence 
tney  emigrated,  the  several  places  they  stopped  at,  and  the  times 
which  they  continued  to  sojourn  there.  This,  we  understand,  ia 
the  same  a&  related  before  in  this  work,  written  h  ^.tmboldt,  and 
describes  the  emigration  of  the  Azteca  tribes,  f'A  ztalan,  or  the 
western  states,  to  Mexico,  which  commenced  to  take  place  not  locg 
after  the  conquest  of  Judea,  by  Titus.  Ciavigero  supposes  these 
nations  of  Aztalan  came  from  Asia,  across  the  Pacific,  from  the  re- 
gion along  the  coasts  of  the  Chinese  sta  and  islands,  reaching  Ame- 
rica not  far.  from  Bhering's  Straits,  and  from  thence  followed  along 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  till  they  came,  in  process  of  time,  to  a  mild- 
er climate.  To  this  Mr.  Atwater  adds,  and  suppose  them  to  have 
from  thence  worked  across  the  continent,  as  well  as  in  other  direc- 
itons,  as  far  as  the  regions  of  the  western  states  and  territories, 
where  they  may  have  lived  thousands  of  years,  as  their  works 
denote. 

'   Others  may  have  found  their  way  into  South  America,  by  cross- 
ing the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  at  different  times  and  places.     Green- 


k 


AND  DISCOTERIBS  IN  THl  WEST. 


878 


Itnden  hkve  been  driven  upon  the  cout  of  Iceland,  which  b  a  dis- 
tance of  at  least  a  thousand  miles.  Thus  transported  by  winds| 
waves  and  stress  of  weather,  man  has  found  all  the  islands  of  all  the 
seas.  In  the  same  way  may  have  arrived  persons  from  Africa, 
Eurqie,— 'Australasians,  Chinese,  Hindoos,  Jappmese,  Biimans, 
Kamfcatadales,  and  Tartars,  on  the  coasts  of  America. 


VOYAGES   AND   SHIPPING  OF  THE  MONGUL  TARTARS,  AND 
SETTLEMENTS  ON  THE  WESTERN  COAST  OF  AMERICA. 

THf  whole  western  coast  of  the  American  continent,  from  oppo- 
site the  Japan  islands,  in  latitude  from  40  to  50  degrees  north,  down 
to  Patagonia,  in  latitude  40  south — a  distance  of  more  than  six  thou- 
sand miles — it  would  appear,  was  once  populous  with  such  nations 
as  peopled  the  Japan  islands,  and  the  eastern  shores  of  Asia,  Chi- 
nese Tartary,  China,  and  Farther  India  ;  who  also  peopled  the 
islands  between,  with  their  various  nations. 

A  cross  made  of  fine  marble,  beautifully  polished,  about  three 
feet  high,  and  three  fingers  in  width  and  thickness,  was  found  in 
an  Indian  temple.  This,  it  appears,  was  kept  as  sacredj  in  a  pa- 
lace of  one  of  the  Incas,  and  held  in  great  veneration  by  the  na 
tives  of  South  America.  When  the  Spaniards  conquered  that 
country  they  enriched  this  cross  with  gold  jewels,  and  placed  it  in 
the  cathedral  of  Cuzco. 

But  how  came  this  emblem  of  Christianity  in  America  ?  There 
were  in  the  service  of  the  Mongols,  in  the  13th  century,  many 
Nestorians,  a  sect  of  Christians.  The  conqueror  of  the  king  of 
Eastern  Bengal  was  a  Christian,  w.hich  was  in  1272,  A.  D. 

Under  this  king  a  part  of  an  expedition  was  sent  to  conquer  the 
islands  of  Japan,  in  large  Chinese  vessels,  and  supposed  to  have 
been  commanded  by  these  Christian  Nestorians,  as  o£Scers ;  being 
more  trust-worthy  and  more  expert  in  warlike  manouvres  than  the 
Mongol  natives.  This  expedition  by  some  means  found  their  way 
from  the  Japan  Islands,  (which  are  west  from  North  America,  in 
north  latitude  35  deg.)  to  the  coast  of  America  in  the  same  lati- 

35 


ii^ 


■^  j¥?«      ""    ';^.  ' 


fj-       *!? 


W'*' 


9t4 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


tude,  and  landed  at  a  place  called  in  the  Mexican  language  CaT- 
caan,  opposite  New-California,  in  north  latitude  ahout  35  degrees^ 

In  the  year  1273  A.  D.,  Kublai,  a  Mongol  emperor,  it  appears, 
became  master  of  all  China.  At  that  time  they  vrere  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  knowledge  of  ship  building,  so  that  vessels  of  enor- 
mous size  were  constructed  by  them ;  so  great  a^.  to  carry  more 
than  a  thousand  men ;  being  four  masted,  though  not  rigged  as 
vessels  now  are,  yet  well  adapted  to  take  advantage  of  the  winds. 

They  were  so  solidly  and  conveniently|made,  as  to  carry  elephants, 
on  their  decks.  The  Peruvians  had  a  tradition  that  many  ages  be- 
fore their  conquest  by  the  Spaniards,  that  there  landed  on  their 
coast  at  St  Helen's  Point,  vessels  manned  with  giants,  having  no 
beard,  and  were  taller  from  their  knees  downward  than  a  man's 
head;  that  they  had  long  hair,  which  hung  loose  upon  their 
shoulders,  and  that  their  eyes  were  wide  apart,  and  very  big  in 
other  parts  of  their  bodies. 

This  description  is  supposed  descriptive  oi  the  elephants  only, 
with  their  riders  blended  both  in  one  animal ;  as  they  did  in  after 
years,  when  the  Spaniards  rode  on  horses,  they  took  them  at  first 
to  be  all  one  animal.  ^  ., 

There  remains  not  a  doubt  but  that  the  Mongol  Tartars  found 
their  way  from  China  to  the  west  of  America  in  shipping.  The 
voyage  is  not  so  great  as  to  render  it  impossible,  as  that  a  French 
Vessel  in  the  year  1721  sailed  from  China,  and  arrived  at  a  place 
called  Valle  de  Nandras,  on  the  coast,  in  fifty  days. 

The  Phoenician  letters  were  known  among  the  Mongol  nations. 
If,  therefore,  they  found  their  way  to  South  America,  we  at  <mce  ac- 
count for  the  Phoemcian  characters  found  in  caverns,  and  cut  in  the 
rocks  of  that  country. 

A  description  of  what  is  supposed  a  Chinese  Mongol  town,  to 
the  west,  in  latitude  39,  in  longitude  87,  called  by  themselves, 
when  first  visited  by  the  Spaniards  Taltmeco,  is  exceedingly  curi- 
ous, and  is  situated  on  the  bank  of  a  river  running  into  the  Pacific 
from  the  territory  now  calkd  Oregon,  only  four  degrees  south  of 
Lake  Erie,  and  in  longitude  87,  or  exactly  west  of  Ohio,  in  lati- 
tude 39. 

It  is  well  built,  and  contains  five  hundred  houses ;  some  of  which 
are  large  and  show  well  at  a  distance.  It  is  situated  on  the  banks 
of  a  river.     Hernando  Soio  dined  with  a  cacique  named  Guachaia;, 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST- 


275 


to 


waA  was  entertaimed  with  as  much  civility  as  exists  among  polished 
nations.  The  suit  of  servants  stood  in  a  row  with  their  backs 
against  the  wall.  This  is  an  eastern  fashion.  While  the  cacique 
was  at  dinner,  he  happened  to  sneeze,  on  which  the  attendants  re- 
spectfully bowed.  This  too  was  an  ancient  eastern  usage.  After 
the  repast  was  finished,  the  servants  all  dined  in  another  hall.  The 
meat  was  well  cooked,  the  fish  properly  roasted  or  broiled.       iy»  • 

They  had  the  knowledge  of  dressing  furs  with  neatness,  and  deer 
skins  were  prepared  with  softness  and  delicacy,  with  which  they 
clothed  themselves. 

The  principal  pride  and  grandeur  of  this  people,  however,  con- 
sisted in  their  temple^  which  stood  in  the  town  of  Talomeco,  which 
was  also  the  sepulchre  of  their  caciques  or  chiefs. 

The  temple  was  a  hundred  paces  long,  which  is  eighteen  rods, 
and  forty  wide,  which  is  ^eveu  rods  and  eight  feet-  Its  doors 
were  wide  in  proportion  to  its  length.  The  roof  was  thatched 
neatly  with  split  twigs,  and  built  sloping  to  throw  ofif  the  rain.  It 
was  thickly  decorated  with  different  sized  shells,  connected  to- 
gether in  festoons,  which  shine  beautifully  in  the  sun.  •-s**?*^  ff?*^? 

On  entering  the  temple,  there  are  twelve  wooden  statutes  of  gi- 
gantic size,  with  menacing  and  savage  faces,  the  tallest  of  which 
was  eight  feet  high.  They  held  in  their  hands,  in  a  striking  pos- 
ture, clubs,  adorned  with  copper.  Some  have  copper  hatchets, 
edged  with  flint ;  others  had  bows  and  arrows,  and  some  held  long 
pikes,  pointed  with  copper.         ',..  ..     ,  ;:    .- ,     ■.?,*■•. 

The  Spaniards  thought  these  statutes  worthy  of  the  ancient  Ro" 
mans.  On  ^ach  of  the  four  sides  of  the  temple,  there  are  two  rows 
of  statutes,  the  size  of  life ;  the  upper  row  is  of  men  with  arms  in 
their  hands ;  the  lower  row  is  of  women.  The  cornice  in  the  tem- 
ple was  ornamented  with  large  shells  mingled  with  pearls,  and  fes- 
toons.    ,l:Kr    ._■■-•       •  ■^?.-.       •  ,".  ••      ■^^^-fa'W!■    A^Mt^ 

The  corpses  of  these  caciques  were  so  well  embalmed  that  there 

was  no  bad  smell ;  they  were  deposited  in  large  wooden  coffers, 

well  constructed.,  and  placed   upon  benches  two  feet  from  the 

ground. 

In  smaller   coffers  and  in  baskets,   the  Spaniards  found   the 

clothes  of  the  deceased  meu  and  women ;  and  so  many  pearls,  that 

they  distributed  them  among  the  officers  and  soldiers  by  handfulls. 

The  prodigious  quantity  of  pearls ;    the  heaps  of  colored  chamois 


''i^^ 


376 


AMBIICAN  ANTiquITIXf 


or  goat  ikiDs;  clothes  of  marten  and  other  well  dreiied  furs;  the 
thick,  well  made  targets  of  twigs,  ornamented  with  pearls ;  and 
other  things  found  in  this  temple  and  its  magazines,  which  consict- 
ed  of  eight  halls  of  equal  magnitude,  made  even  the  Spaniards  who 
had  been  in  Peru,  admire  this  as  the  wonder  of  the  new  world. 

The  remains  of  dties  and  towns  of  an  ancient  population,  exists 
eyery  where  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  which  agree  in  fashion 
with  the  works  and  ruins  found  along  the  Chinese  coasts,  exactly 
west  from  the  western  limits  of  North  America,  showing  beyond  all 
diq)ute,  that  in  ancient  times  the  countries  were  known  to  each 
other,  and  voyages  were  reciprocally  made. 

The  style  of  their  shipping  was  such  as  to  be  equal  to  voyages  of 
that  distance,  and  also  sufficient  to  withstand  stress  of  weather,  even 
beyond  vessels  of  the  present  times,  on  account  of  their  great  depth 
of  keel  and  size.  -*      , 

"The  Chinese  ships  have  a  single  deck,  below  the  space  of 
which  is  divided  into  a  great  number  of  cabins,  some  times  not  less 
than  sixty,  affording  accommodations  for  as  many  Merchants,  vnth 
their  servants. 

They  have  a  good  helm,  some  of  the  larger  ships  have  besides 
the  cabin,  thirteen  bulk-heads,  or  divisions,  in  the  hold,  formed  of 
thick  planks  mortia^d  together.  The  object  of  this  is  to  guard 
against  springing  a  leak,  if  they  strike  on  a  rock,  or  should  be 
struck  by  a  whale,  which  not  unfreqoently  occurs. 

By  this  plan,  if  an  accident  did  happen,  only  one  of  the  divis- 
ion could  be  affected  ;  the  whole  vessel  was  double  planked,  laid 
over  the  first  planking ;  and  so  large  were  some  of  these  vessels  as 
to  require  a  crew  of  three  hundred  sailors  to  manage  them  when  at 
sea. — See  Marco  PoUPs^  Book  3</.,  chap.  1,  and  note  1128 — Rankin. 

In  the  year  A.  D.  1275,  the  Tartars,  under  their  general,  called 
iUbibo,  undertook  the  invasion  of  the  Jappan  empire,  which  lies 
along  adjacent  to  China,  between  the  western  coast  of  North  Ame- 
rica and  China,  with  a  fleet  of  4000  sail,  having  on  board  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  thousand  men. 

But  the  expedition  proved  unsuccessful,  as  it  was  destroyed  by  a 
storm,  driven  and  scattered  about  the  Pacific  ocean. — Kempfer^t 
history  of  Japan. — Rankin. 

From  this  we  discover  the  perfect  ability  of  the  western  nations, 
that  is,  west  of  America,  to  explore  the  ocean,  as  suited  their  in- 


AND   DISCOTBRIEI  llf   THE  WKIT. 


rs;  the 

|s;  and 

consirt- 

jdfl  who 

rid. 

L  exists 
fashion 
lexactlj 
rond  all 
jto  each 


)ace  of 
lot  less 
»,  with 


clinations,  in  the  earliest  ages ;  fcN*  we  are  not  to  suppose  the  Tar^ 
tars  had  just  then,  in  1275,  come  to  a  knowledge  of  navigation, 
but  rather,  the  greatness  of  this  fleet  is  evidence,  that  the  art  had 
arrived  to  its  highest  state  of  perfection. 

But  had  they  a  knowledge  of  the  compass  ?  This  is  an  impor- 
tant enquiry.  On  this  subject  we  have  the  following  from  the  pen 
of  the  most  learned  Antiquarian  of  the  age,  C.  S.  Rafinesque,  whose 
writings  we  have  several  times  alluded  to  in  the  course  of  this 
work. 

This  author  says,  that  in  the  year  of  the  world  1200,  or  2800 
years  before  Christ,  or  450  years  before  the  flood,  the  magnetic 
needle  was  known  and  in  use,  and  that  under  the  Emperor  Hoangti, 
which  was  about  130  years  nearer  the  time  of  the  flood,  reckoning 
from  the  creation,  ships  began  to  be  invented.  He  even  gives  the 
names  of  two  ship  builders,  Kong-ku  and  Ho-ahu,  who,  by  order  of 
the  above  named  Emperor,  built  boats,  at  first  witli  hollow  trees, 
and  furnished  them  with  oars,  and  were  sent  to  explore  places 
where  no  man  had  ever  been.  i  \ 

In  the  year  2037  before  Christ,  or  307  years  after  the  flood,  un- 
der the  Hia  dynasty,  embassies  were  sent  to  China  from  foreign 
countries,  beyond  sea,  who  came  in  ships  to  pay  homage  to  the 
HiaSy  or  Emperor. 

If  a  knowledge  of  the  magnet,  and  its  adaptation  to  navigation, 
was  known  before  the  flood,  as  appears  from  this  writer's  remarks, 
who  derives  this  discovery  from  a  perusal  of  the  Chinese  histories ; 
it  was,  of  necessity,  divulged  by  Noah  to  his  immediate  posterity, 
who  it  is  said,  went  soon  after  the  confusion  of  the  language  at 
Babel,  and  planted  a  colony  in  China,  or  in  that  eastern  ;nuntry ; 
as  all  others  of  mankind  had  perished  in  the  flood,  const. ^uently 
there  were  none  else  to  promulgc  it  to  but  this  family. 

Dr.  Clarke  has  given  his  opinion  in  his  Comment  on  the  Book 
of  Job,  that  the  needle  was  known  to  the  ancients  of  the  east. 
He  derives  this  from  certain  expressions  of  Job,  28th  chap.  1 8th 
verse,  respecting  precious  stones,  which  are : — "  No  mention  shall  be 
made  of  coral  or  of  pearls  :  for  the  price  of  wisdom  is  above  rubies." 
That  is,  it  is  understood,  that  the  wisdom  which  aided  man  to  make 
this  discovery,  and  to  apply  it  to  the  purposes  of  navigation,  on  the 
account  of  its  polarityy  is  that  wisdom  which  is  above  the  price  of 
rubies. 


T 


278 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


I 


"  The  attractive  properties  of  loadstone  must  have  been  obscf" 
ved  from  its  first  discovery ;  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  magnet  and  its  virtues,  were  known  in  the  east  long  before 
they  were  discovered  in  Europe." — Clarke. 

But  it  may  be  inquired,  if  the  knowledge  of  the  magnet  and  its 
application  to  the  great  purpose  of  navigation,  and  surveying  were 
understood  in  any  degree,  how  came  one  branch  of  the  descendants 
of  the  family  of  Noah,  those  who  went  east  from  Ararat,  to  have 
it ;  and  the  others,  who  went  in  other  directions,  to  be  ignorant  of, 
it ;  and  had  to  discover  it  over  again<in  the  course  of  ages. 

We  can  answer  this,  only  by  noticing,  that  many  arts  of  the 
ancients  of  Europe  and  of  Africa  are  lost ;  but  how,  we  cannot 
tell ;  in  the  same  way  this  art  was  lost.  Wars,  convulsions,  revo- 
lutions sweeping  diseases,  often  change  the  entire  face  and  state  of 
society  ;  so  that  if  it  were  even  known  to  all  the  first  generation, 
immediately  succeeding  the  flood,  a  secona  generation  may  have 
lost  it,  not  dwelling  in  the  vicinity  of  great  waters ;  having  no  use 
for  such  an  art,  would  of  necessity  loose  it,  which  remained  lost  till 
about  the  year  A.  D.  1300. 

In  the  year  1197,  before  Christ,  about  the  time  of  Job ;  a  large 

colony  from  China,  under  the  Yu  dynasty  was  sent  to  Jappan,  and 

other  western  islands,  who  drove  out  the  Ont,  or  black  inhabitants, 

the  first  settlers  of  those  islands,  a  branch,  it  appears,  of  the  family 

of  Hamy  who  had  found  their  way  across  the  whole  continent 

of  Asia,  from  Ararat,  or  else  had,  by  sea,  coasted  along  from  the 

countries  of  the  equator,   their  natural  home,  to  those  beautiful 

islands. 

From  this  tract  of  early  settlement,  we  see  the  African,  as  he  is 

now  designated,  as  enterprising  in  the  colonizing  of  new  countries, 

as  they  were  in  the  study  of  Astronemy,  and  of  building,  and  the 

invention  of  letters,  at  the  time  the  Egyptians  first  merge  to  notice 

on  the  page  of  history.    And  if  the  Japan  islands,  a  part  of  the 

earth  as  far  from  Ararat,  tVa  great  starting  point  of  man  after  the 

flood,  as  is  America  and  much  farther,  was  found  settled  by  the 

black  race  of  Ham,  why  not  therefore  America. 

The  pure  negro  has  been  found  on  some  of  the  islands  between 

China  and  America ;    which  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  race 

of  people  have  preceeded  even  the  whites,  or  at  least  equalled  them, 

in  first  peopleing  the  globe  after  the  deluge. 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST- 


219 


tlafincs^iue,  the  great  Antiquarian,  says,  tlic  exact  time  WliCn  the 
Chinese  Jir$t  discovered  or  reached  America,  is  not  given  in  their 
books,  but  it  was  known,  he  says,  to  thero,  and  to  the  Japanese, 
at  a  very  early  period,  and,  called  by  them  Fu  Sham,  and  frequent- 
ed for  trade. 

But  who  were  here  for  them  to  trade  with  ?  Our  answer  is ; 
those  first  inhabitants,  the  white,  the  red,  and  the  black,  the  sons 
of  the  sons  of  Noah,  Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth,  who  gqt  on  to  the 
continent  before  it  was  severed  from  Asia  and  Africa,  in  the  days 
of  Pelcg,  one  or  two  hundred  years  after  the  flood  of  Noah. 


>.  ,«'>' 


A  FURTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  WESTERN  DISCOVERIES. 


Six  miles  from  Lebanon,  on  the  Little  Miami,  above  the  mouth 
of  Todd's  Fork,  are  curious  remains  of  aboriginal  works.  The  form . 
of  one  of  the  forts  is  trapezodial ;  the  walls  are  of  earth,  and  gene* 
rally  eight  or  ten  feet  high  ;  but  in  one  place,  where  it  crosses  th« 
brow  of  the  hill  where  it  stands,  it  is  eighteen  feet  high.  Tht 
Little  Miami  passes  by  on  the  west ;  on  the  north  are  deep  ravines, 
and  on  the  south  and  southeast,  the  same  ravines  continue ;  making 
it  a  position  of  great  strength.  The  area  of  the  whole  enclosure  is 
nearly  a  hundred  acres ;  the  wall  has  numerous  angles,  retreat^|fl. 
salient,  and  acute,  from  which  are  eighty  outlets  or  gateways. 

From  which  circumstance  we  learn  its  citizens  were  very  greft 
in  number,  or  so  many  gateways  would  not  have  been  needdiiv 
Two  mounds  are  in  its  uf:i;i'iborhood,  from  which  walls  run  in  dif- 
ferent directions  to  the  adjoining  ravines-  Round  about  this 
work  are  the  traces  of  several  roads ;  two  of  them  are  sixteen  feet 
wide  elevated  about  three  feet  in  their  centre,  and  like  our  tum- 

The  Sioux  country,  on  the  Wabisipinekan,  St.  Peters,  and  Yel- 
low River,  abound  with  ancient  entrenchments,  mounds  and  fortifi- 
cations. Six  miles  from  St.  Louis,  is  a  place,  called  the  "  valley  of 
bones,"  where  the  ground  is  promiscuously  strewed  with  human 
and  animal  bones ;   some  of  the  latter  are  of  an  enormous  size. 


96d 


▲MERlClff  ANTUUITIli 


f 


On  the  river  Huron,  thirty  miles  from  Detroit,  and  ahout  eight 
miles  from  Lake  St.  Clair,  are  a  number  of  small  mounds,  situated 
on  a  dry  plain,  or  bluff  of  the  river.  Sixteen  baskets  full  of  human 
bones,  of  a  remarkable  size,  were  discovered  in  the  earth,  while 
sinking  a  cellar  on  this  plain,  for  the  missionary-  Near  the  mouth 
of  this  river,  Huron,  on  the  east  bank,  are  ancient  works,  repre- 
senting a  fortress,  with  walls  of  earth,  thrown  up  similar  to  those  of 
Indiana  and  Ohio.  ''"       '  >  .  .^  • 

At  Belle  Fontaine,  or  Spring  Wells,  three  miles  below  Detroit^ 
are  three  mounds,  or  tumuli,  standing  in  a  direct  line,  about  ten 
rods  apart.  One  of  these  having  been  opened,  bones,  stone  axes, 
and  arrow  heads,  were  found  in  abundance.  Within  the  distance 
of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  these,  are  still  to  be  seen  the  remains  of 
ancient  fortifications,  a  breast  work,  in  some  places  three  and  four 
feet  high,  enclosing  several  acres  of  firm  ground,  in  the  centre  of  an 
extensive  swamp. 

"  In  the  State  of  Indiana,  Franklin  County,  near  Harrisonville, 
on  the  Whitewater  River,  eight  miles  from  its  mouth,  on  the  north 
side,  the  traces  of  an  ancient  population  literally  strew  the  earth  in 
every  direction.  On  the  bottoms  or  flats  are  a  great  number  of 
mounds,  very  unequal  in  size;  The  small  ones  are  from  two  to 
four  feet  above  the  surface,  and  the  growth  of  timber  upon  them 
small,  not  being  over  an  hundred  years  old,  while  the  others  are 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet  high,  with  trees  growing  on  them  of  the  largest 
and  most  aged  description." — Broum'a  Western  Oazeteer. 
JHh.  Brown,  the  author  of  the  Western  Oazeteer,  from  whose 
work  we  extract  the  the  following,  says  he  obtained  the  assistance 
of  the  inhabitants,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  thorough  examina- 
tion ofthe  internal  structure  of  these  mounds.  He  examined  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  of  them,  and  found  them  all  except  one,  to  have 
human  bones  in  ;  some  filled  with  hundreds,  of  all  ages,  thrown 
pn»niscttously  together,  into  great  heaps.  '  He  found  several  scullsj 
leg  and  thigh  bones,  which  plainly  shewed,  their  possessors  were 
persons  of  gigantic  stature. 

The  teeth  of  all  the  subjects  he  examined,  were  remarkably  even, 
and  sound,  handsomely  and  firmly  planted.  The  fore  teeth  were 
very  deep  and  not  so  wide  as  those  of  the  generality  of  white  peo- 
ple.    He  discovered  in  one  mound,  an  article  of  glass,  in  form  re- 


.\   I 


AND  DIICOTERIBI  IN  THK  WEST. 


981 


fut  eight 
J  situated 
If  human 
|h,  while 
|e  mouth 
•»  repre- 
those  of 


lemUiog  the  bottom  of  a  tumbler,  weighing  five  ounces ;  it  waa 
cpnc^ye  on  both  of  ita  aidea. 

It  |a  trn<e,  that  although  glaaa  ia  said  not  to  have  been  found  out 
till  844  of  the  Christian  era,  yet  it  waf  known  to  the  ancient  Ro- 
ijai^s,  but  waa  considered  an  article  of  too  great  value  to  be  in  com- 
mon use.  That  the  Romans  were  actually  in  the  possession  of  this 
knowledge,  we  learn  from  the  discoveriea  made  in  the  disinterred 
cities  of  the  ancient  Romans,  Pompeii  and  Herculaoeum,  buried 
by  the  volcanic  eruption  of  Mount  Vesuvius.  Among  the  vast  dis- 
coveries of  temples,  dwellings,  streets,  gardens,  paintings,  sculp- 
ture, skeletons,  with  treasures  of  gold,  baa  been  found  one  bow 
window  lighted  with  glass  of  a  green  tinge  or  color.  The  discove- 
ry of  this  article  of  glass  in  the  tumuli,  is  a  proof  of  its  being  of 
European  manufactory,  and  probably  of  the  Roman,  brought  by  ita 
owner  as  a  valuable  jewel  in  those  early  times. 

In  this  mound  were  found  several  atone  axea,  such  as  are  shown 
on  the  plate,  with  grooves  near  the  heads,  to  receive  a  withe,  which 
unquestionably  served  to  fasten  the  helve  on,  and  several  piecea  of 
earthen  ware.  Some  appeared  to  be  parta  of  vessels,  once  holding 
six  or  eight  gallons,  others  were  obviously  fragments  of  jugs,  jars, 
and  cups.  Some  were  plain,  while  others  were  curiously  orna- 
mented with  figures  of  birds  and  beasts,  drawn  while  the  clay  or 
material  of  which  they  were  made,  was  soft,  before  the  process  of 
glazing  was  performed.  The  glazier's  art  appears  to  have  been 
well  understood  by  the  potters  who  manufactured  this  aboriginal 
crockery.  One  of  the  skulls  taken  out  of  a  mouud  at  this  place, 
^a^  found  pierced  with  a  flint  arrow,  which  was  still  sticking  in 
the  bone  ;  it  was  about  six  inches  long. 

At  the  bottom  of  all  the  mounds  he  examined,  was  found  a  stra- 
tum of  ashes,  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  thick,  which  rests  on  the 
original  soil.  These  ashes  contain  coals,  fragments  of  brands,  and 
pieces  of  calcined  or  burnl  human  bones.  It  is  somewhat  singular 
to  find  that  these  people  both  buried  and  burnt  their  dead  ;  yet  it 
may  be,  that  such  as  were  burnt,  were  prisoners  of  war,  who  being 
bound  and  laid  in  heaps,  were  thus  reduced  to  ashes,  by  heaping 
over  them  brush  and  dry  wood- 
Near  this  place,  (Harrisonville)  on  the  neighbouring  hills,  north- 
east of  the  town,  are  a  number  of  the  remains  of  stone  houses. 

•* 
They  were  covered  with  soil,  brush,  and  full  grown  trees.    Mr< 

36 


'* 


282 


AMERtCAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Brawn  cleared  away  the  earth,  roots,  and  mbbish,  from  oneof  tbetn 
and  found  it  to  hav.e  been  anciently  occupied  as  a  <^welling.  It  wa» 
about  twelve  feet  square.  The  walls  had  fallen  nearly  to  the  foun^ 
dation,  having  been  built  with  the  rough  stone  of  nature,  like  a 
stone  wall.  At  one  end  of  the  building  was  a  regular  hearth,  on 
which  was  yet  the  ashes  and  coals  of  the  last  fire  its  owners  had 
enjoyed ;  before  which  were  found  the  decayed  skeletons  of  eight 
persons,  of  difierent  ages,  from  a  small  child  to  the  heads  of  the  fa- 
mily. Their  feet  were  found  pointing  towards  the  hearth;  and  they . 
were  probably  murdered  while  asleep. 

From  the  circumstance  of  the  kind  of  house  these  people  lived 
in,  (which  is  the  evidence  of  their  not  belonging  to  the  mound  in-* 
habitants,)  we  should  pronounce  them  to  be  a  settlement  of  Welch, 
Scandinavians,  or  .Scotch,  who  had  thus  wandered  to  the  west, 
from  the  first  settlements  made  along  the  Atlantic,  and  were  ex- 
terminated by  the  common  Indians,  who  had  also  destroyed  or  driv- 
en away  the  authors  of  the  mounds,  many  hundred  years  before 
these  Europeans  came  to  this  country. 


-?,,■.;-%   4.    %>  U3 


VARIOUS    OPINIONS    OF    ANTIQUARIANS    RESPECTING    THE 
ORIGINAL  INHABITANTS   OF  AMERICA. 


i 


But  we  hasten  to  a  conclusion  of  this  work,  by  furnishing  the 
reader  with  the  opinions  of  several  antiqurians,  who  stand  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  lovers  of  research ;  and  among  these  as  fore- 
most, is  the  late  celebrated  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  Professor  of 
Natural  History.     And  as  we  have  not  room  totgive  at  length,  all 
that  these  gentlemen  have  published  on  this  subject,  we  shall  only 
avail  ourselves  of  extracts,  such  as  will  show  their  final  judgment 
as  to  what  nations,  or  ra^es  of  men  they  were,  who  built  the  works 
of  which  we  have  given  an  account- 
In  the  following  we  have  in  extract,  the  remarks  and  opinions  of 
Dr.  Mitchell  in  his  communication  to  the  American  Antiquarian  So- 
ciety of  which  he  was  a  member,  1815,  as  follows: — "  I  offer  you 
some  observations  on  a  curious  piece  of  American  antiquity,  now 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


283 


•ji'  •■  A 


in  New- York.  It  is  a  human  body,  found  in  one  of  the  limestone 
caverns  o(  Kentucky.  It  is  a  perfect  exsiccation  ;  all  the  fluids 
are  dried  up.  The  skin,  bones,  and  other  Arm  parts,  are  in  a  state 
of  entire  preservat'on. 

In  exploring  a  calcareous  chamber,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Glas- 
gow, in  the  west,  for  salt  petre,  several  human  bodies  were  found, 
enwrapped  carefully  in  skins  and  cloths.  The  outer  envelope  of 
the  body,  is  a  deer  skin,  dried  in  the  usual  way,  and  perhaps  sof- 
tened before  its  application,  by  rubbing.  The  next  covering  is  a 
deer  skin,  the  hair  of  which  had  been  cut  away  by  a  sharp  instru- 
ment resembling  a  hatter's  knife.  The  remnant  of  the  hair,  and 
the  gashes  in  the  skin,  nearly  resemble  a  sheared  pelt  of  beaver. 
The  next  wrapper  is  of  cloth,  made  of  twine  doubled  and  twisted ; 
but  the  threads  do  not  appear  to  have  been  formed  by  the  wheel, 
nor  the  web  by  the  loom.  The  warp  and  filling,  seem  to  have  been 
crossed  and  knotted,  by  an  operation  like  that  of  the  fabrics  of  the 
north-west  coast,  and  of  the  Sandwich  islands.  The  innermost  te- 
gument is  a  m«intle  of  cloth,  like  the  preceding,  but  is  furnished 
with  large  brown  feathers,  arranged,  and  fastened  with  great  art,  so 
as  to  be  capable  of  guarding  the  living  wearer  from  wet  and  cold. 
The  plumage  is  distinct  and  entire,  and  the  whole  bears  a  near  si- 
militude to  the  feathery  cloaks  now  worn  by  the  nations  of  the 
north-wesiern  coast  of  America. 

The  body  is  in  a  squatting  posture,  with  the  right  arm  reclining 
forward,  and  its  hand  encircling  the  right  leg.  The  left  arm  hangs 
down  by  its  side.  The  individual  was  a  male,  supposed  to  be  not 
more  than  fourteen  at  his  death.  There  is  a  deep  and  extensive 
fracture  of  the  skull,  near  the  occiput,  which  probably  killed  him . 
The  skin  has  sustained  but  little  injury,  and  is  of  a  dusky  colour, 
but  the  natural  hue  cannot  be  decided  with  exactness  from  its  pre- 
sent appearance.  The  scalp,  with  small  exceptions,  is  covered 
with  reddish  hair.  The  teeth  are  white  and  sound.  The  hands 
and  feet,  in  their  shriveled  state,  are  slender  and  delicate. 

It  may  now,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  be  expected,  that  I  should  offer 
some  opinion  as  to  the  antiquity,  and  race,  of  this  singular  exsicca- 
tion. First,  then,  I  am  satisfied,  that  it  does  not  belong  to  the  class 
of  white  men,  of  which  we  are  members.  Nor  do  I  believe  that 
it  ought  to  be  referred  to  the  bands  of  Spanish  adventurers,  who, 
between  the  15th  and  16th  centuries,  rambled  up  the  Mississippi, 


284 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


and  along  the  tributary  streams.  I  am  equally  obliged  to  reject 
the  opinion  that  it  belonged  to  any  of  the  tribes  of  aborigines  now 
or  lately  inhabiting  Kentucky.  The  mantle  of  feathered  work, 
and  the  mantle  of  twisted  threads,  so  nearly  resemble  the  fabrics  of 
the  natives  of  Wakash,  and  the  Pacific  islands,  that  I  refer  this  in- 
dividual to  that  era  of  time,  and  that  generation  of  men,  which  pre- 
l  ceded  the  Indians  of  Green  River,  and  of  the  place  where  these 
relics  were  found." 

In  another  letter,  of  a  later  date,  to  the  society,  he  requests  the 
preservation  of  certain  papers,  "  as  worthy  of  being  recorded  in  its 
archieves,  showing  the  progress  of  his  mind,  in  coming  to  the  great 
conclusion,  that  the  three  races,  Malays,  Tartars,  and  Scandinavians, 
contributed  to  make  up  the  great  American  population,"  who  were 
the  authors  of  the  various  works  and  antiquities,  found  on  the  con- 
tinent. — Am.  Antiquarian  p.  315. 

The  fabrics  accompanying  the  Kentucky  bodies,  resemble,  very 
nearly,  those  which  encircled  the  mummies  of  Tennessee.  On 
comparing  the  two  sets  of  samples,  they  were  ascertained  to  be  as 
much  alike  as  two  pieces  of  goods  of  the  same  kind,  made  at  dif- 
ferent factories  of  this  country.  '^T^f- 

Other  antiquities  of  the  same  class,  have  come  to  light ;  speci- 
mens of  cloths,  and  some  of  the  raw  materials,  all  dug  out  of  that 
unparalleled  natural  excavation,  the  Kentucky  cavern,  which  is 
found  to  extend  many  miles,  in  different  directions,  very  deep  in 
the  eaith ;  has  many  vast  rooms,  one  in  particular,  of  1800  feet 
in  circumference,  and  150  in  height.  For  a  very  grand  descrip- 
tion of  this  cave,  see  Blake's  Atlas,  1826,  published  at  New- York, 
for  subscribers. 

The  articles  found  in  this  cave  were  sent  to  Dr.  Mitchell  of 
New- York,  which  were  accompanied  with  the  following  note  : 

"  There  will  be  found  in  this  bundle  two  mocasins,  in  the  same 
state  they  were  when  dug  out  of  the  Mammoth  cave,  about  two 
hundred  yards  within  its  mouth.  Upon  examination,  it  will  be 
perceived,  that  they  are  fabricated  out  of  diiTereut  materials ;  one 
is  supposed  to  be  made  of  a  species  of  flag,  or  lilly,  which  grows  in 
the  southern  parts  of  Kentucky ;  the  other,  of  the  bark  of  some 
tree,  probably  the  pappaw.  There  is  a  part  of  what  is  supposed  to 
be  a  kinniconecke,  or  pouch,  two  meshes  of  a  fishing  net,  and  a  piece 
of  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  raw  material,  and  of  which  the  fish- 


f 


A 


AND  DISCOTERIES  IN  THE   WKIT. 


285 


ing  net,  ponrh  moccasins  were  made.  Also,  a  bowl,  or  cup^ 
containing  abov  a.  pint,  cut  out  of  wood,  found  also  in  the  cave; 
and,  lately,  there  has  been  dug  out  of  it  the  skeleton  of  a  human 
body,  enveloped  in  a  matting  similar  to  that  of  the  pouch.  This 
matting  is  substantially  like  those  of  the  plain  fabric,  taken  from 
the  copperas  cave  of  Tennessee,  and  the  saltpetrous  cavern  near 
Glasgow,  in  Kentucky. 

And  what  is  highly  remarkable,  and  worthy  the  attention  of  an- 
tiquarians, is,  that  they  all  have  a  perfect  resemblance  to  the  fabrics 
of  the  Sandwich,  Caroline,  and  the  Fegee  islands,  in  the  Pacific. 
We  know  the  similitude  of  the  manufactured  articles  from  the  fol- 
lowing circumstance :  After  the  termination  of  the  war,  in  the  isl- 
and of  Toconroba,  wherein  certain  citizens  of  the  United  States 
were  engaged  as  principals  or  allies,  many  articles  of  Fejee  manu- 
facture were  brought  to  New- York  by  the  victors.  Some  of  them 
agree  almost  exactly  with  the  fabrics  discovered  in  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  They  bear  a  strict  comparison,  the  marks  of  a  similar 
state  of  the  arts,  and  point  strongly  to  a  sameness  of  c.gin  in  the 
respective  people  that  prepared  them.  Notwithstanding  the  dis- 
tance of  their  several  residences,  at  the  present  time,  it  is  impossi- 
ble not  to  look  back  to  the  common  ancestry  of  the  Malays,  who 
formerly  possessed  the  country  between  the  Allegany  mountains 
and  the  Mississippi  river,  and  those  who  now  inhabit  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific  ocean.  .       '       ^ 

All  these  considerations  lead  to  the  belief  that  colonies  of  Aus- 
tralasians, or  Malays,  landed  in  North  America,  and  penetrated 
across  the  continent,  (in  process  of  time,)  to  the  region  lying  be- 
tween the  great  lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  There  they  resid- 
ed, and  constructed  the  fortifications,  mounds,  and  other  ancient 
structures,  which  are  the  wonder  of  all  who  have  seen  them. 

What  has  become  of  them }  They  have  probably  been  overcome 
by  the  more  warlike  and  ferocious  hordes,  that  entered  our  hemis- 
phere from  the  northeast  of  Asia.  These  Tartars,  of  the  higher 
latitudes,  have  issued  from  the  great  hive  of  nations,  and  desolated 
in  the  course  of  their  migrations,  the  southern  tribes  of  America,  as 
they  have  done  to  those  of  Asia  and  Europe.  The  greater  part  of 
the  present  American  natives  are  of  the  Tartar  stock,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  hardy  warriors  who  destroyed  the  weaker  Malays  that 
preceded  them :  an  individual  of  their  extermiuated  race  nov/  and 


J I 


286 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


then  rises  from  the  tomb,  by  which  their  identity  of  origin  is  ascer- 
tained. 

If  the  position  is  correct,  that  the  Australasians,  Polynesians  and 
the  Malays,  who  are  all  the  same  as  to  origin,  peopled  a  part  of 
North  America,  but  were  driven  away  toward  the  south,  by  the 
northern  Tartars,  we  learn  from  whence  the  Azteca  Indians,  who 
subdued  the  native  Mexicans,  derived  their  ferocity  and  treachery 
of  character;  for  such  are  the  people  who  now  inhabit  those 
islands. 

The  following  is  the  character  Morse  the  geographer  has  given 
them :  "  They  are  restless,  fond  of  navigation,  war,  plunder,  emi- 
grations, colonizing,  desperate  enterprizes,  adventures  and  gallantry. 
They  talk  incessantly  of  their  honor  and  their  bravery,  whilst  they 
are  universally  considered^  by  those  with  whom  they  have  inter- 
course, as  the  most  treacherous,  ferocious  people  on  the  globe ; 
and  yet  they  speak  the  softest  language  of  Asia." — Universal  Geog. 
p.  546. 

In  a  communication  of  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  to  De  Witt 
Clinton,  1836,  he  remarks  that  "  the  parallel  between  the  people 
of  America  and  Asia,  afford^  this  important  conclusion ;  that  on 
both  continents  the  hordes  dwelling  in  higher  latitudes,  have  over- 
powered the  more  civilized  though  feebler  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
tries situated  towards  the  equator." 

As  the  Tartars  have  overrun  China,  so  the  Aztecas  subdued 
Mexico ;  as  the  Huns  and  Alans  desolated  Italy,  so  the  Chippewas 
and  Iroquois  prostrated  the  populous  settlements  on  both  banks  of 
the  Ohio.  The  surviving  race,  in  these  terrible  conflicts  between 
the  different  nations  of  the  ancient  native  residents  of  North  Ame- 
rica, is  evidently  that  of  the  Tartars.  This  opinion  is  founded  upon 
four  considerations. 

Ist.  The  similarity  of  phgsiognomy  and  features.  His  excel- 
lency M.  Genet,  sometime  minister  plenipotentiary  from  France  to 
the  United  States,  is  well  acquainted  with  the  faces,  hues  and  fi- 
gures of  our  Indians,  and  of  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  and  is  perfectly  sa- 
tisfied of  their  national  resemblance. 

Mons.  Cazeaux,  consul  of  France  to  New- York,  has  drawn  the 
same  conclusion,  from  a  careful  examination  of  the  man  of  North 
America  and  Northern  Asia. 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


287 


M.  Smibert,  who  had  been  employed  in  executing  paintings  of 
Tartar  visages  for  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  was  so  struck  with 
the  similarity  of  their  features  to  those  of  the  Narraganset  Indians, 
that  he  pronounced  them  members  of  the  same  great  family  of  man- 
kind. This  opinion  of  the  Grand  Duke's  portrait  painter,  is-^pre- 
served  with  all  its  circumstances,  in  the  fourteenth  volume  of  the 
Medical  Repository. 

I  have  examined  with  the  utmost  care  seven  or  eight  Chinese 
sailors,  who  had  assisted  in  navigating  a  ship  from  Macao  to  New- 
York.  The  thinness  of  their  beards,  the  bay  complexion,  the 
black  lank  hair,  the  aspect  of  the  eyes,  the  contour  of  the  face,  and 
in  short  the  general  external  character,  induced  every  person  who 
observed  them  to  remark  how  nearly  they  resemble  the  Mohegans 
and  Oneidas  of  New- York. 

Sidi  Mellimelli,  the  Tunisian  envoy  to  the  United  States,  in 
1804,  entertained  the  same  opinion  on  beholding  the  Cherokees, 
Osages  and  Miamies,  assembled  at  the  city  of  Washington,  during 
his  residence  there.  Their  Tartar  physiognomy  struck  him  iu  a 
moment. 

2d.  The  affinity  of  their  languages.  The  late  learned  and  enter- 
prising Professor  Barton  took  the  lead  in  this  inquiry.  He  collected 
as  many  words  as  he  could,  from  the  languages  spoken  in  Asia  and 
America,  and  concluded,  from  the  numerous  coincidences  of  sound 
and  signification,  that  there  must  have  been  a  common  origin. 

3d.  The  existence  of  corresponding  customs.  I  mean  to  state,  at 
present,  that  of  shaving  away  the  hair  of  the  scalp  from  the  fore 

part  and  sides  of  the  head,  so  that  nothing  is  left  but  a  tuft  on  the 

f 
crown.  -     .  ; ,  T  J 

The  custom  of  smoking  the  pipe  on  solemn  occasions,  to  the  four 
cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  to  the  heavens  and  to  the  earth,  is 
reported,  upon  the  most  credible  authority,  to  distinguish  equally 
the  hordes  of  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  and  the  bands  of  the  American 
Sioux,  the  most  dreadful  warriors  of  the  west. 

4th.  The  kindred  nature  of  the  Indian  dogs  of  America^  and  the 
Siberian  dogs  of  Asia.  The  animal  that  lives  with  the  natives  of 
the  two  continents  as  a  dog,  is  very  different  from  the  tame  creature 
of  the  same  name  in  Europe  and  America.  He  is  either  a  different 
species,  or  a  wide  variety  of  the  stme  species.  But  the  identity  of 
the  American  and  Asiatic  curs  is  evinceu  by  several  cousiderations. 


Ids 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


I 


^ 


Both  tie  mostly  white ;  tLcy  hare  shaggy  coats,  sliarp  ndseS,  and 
erect  ears.  They  are  voracious,  thievish,  and,  to  a  considerable 
degree,  untameable.  They  steal  wherever  they  can,  and  some- 
times turn  against  their  masters.  They  are  prone  to  snarl  and  grin, 
and  they  have  a  howl  instead  of  barking. 

They  are  employed  in  both  hemispheres  for  labor ;  such  as  car- 
rying hnrdens,  drawing  sledges  over  the  snow,  and  the  like ;  being 
yoked  and  harnessed  for  the  purpose  like  horses.  This  coinci- 
dence of  our  Indian  with  the  Cania  iS'i6ertcu«,  is  a  very  important 
fact-  The  dog,  the  companion,  the  friend,  or  slave  of  man,  in  ail 
his  fortunes  and  migrations,  reflects  great  light  on  this  subject,  and 
the  history  of  nations,  and  of  their  genealogy. 

*'In  addition  to  considerations  already  stated,  in  favor  of  this 
opinion,  may  be  urged  the  more  recent  discoveries  concerning  the 
quadrupeds  which  inhabit  the  respective  countries.  There  is  cen- 
clusive  evidence,  for  example,  that  the  wild  sheep  of  Louisiana  and 
California  is  the  Tartarian  animal  of  the  same  name.  Yes,  thf 
taye'tayef  of  Northwestern  America,  is  an  animal  of  the  same  spe- 
cies with  the  argali  of  Northern  Asia.  Our  mountain  ram,  or  big 
horn,  is  their  ovia  ammo^." — Ajnerican  Antq.  Soc.  p.  S38. 

But  we  remark,  this  opinion  of  the  learned  antiquarian.  Professor 
Mitchell,  by  no  means  lessens  the  probability,  as  is  contended  by 
many  learned  men,  and  also  is  the  popular  belief,  that  notwith- 
standing this  Tartar  physiognomy  of  our  Indians,  that  they  are,  in 
part,  but  in  a  mixed  relation,  descended  of  the  Jews ;  or  in  other 
words,  a  part  of  the  Ten  Lost  Tribes  of  Israel ;  and  do,  in  reality) 
in  many  things,  imitate  the  worship  of  the  ancient  Israelites. 
Having  taught  the  same  to  the  Tartars,  after  they  left  Syria,  in 
mass,  as  is  related  by  Esdras,  in  his  second  Book,  see  chapter  13, 
firom  verse  7  to  47,  inclusive.  See  also  page  55  of  this  work,  and 
onward. 

But  we  resume  the  remarks  of  Professor  Mitchell,  to  Governor 
Clinton,  in  reference  to  the  authors  of  the  works  in  the  west. 
"  The  exterminated  race,  in  the  savage  intercourse  between  the 
nations  of  North  America,  in  ancknt  days,  appears  clearly  to  have 
been  that  of  the  Malays.  The  bodies  and  shrouds,  and  clothing  of 
those  individuals,  have  within  a  few  years,  been  discovered  in  the 
caverns  of  saltpetre  and  copperat ,  within  the  States  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee.     Their  entire  dried  or  exsiccated  condition-  hag 


»".?■ 


AND   DISCOTERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


9M 


ised,  and 
piderable 
Id  some- 
|tnd  g^^ 

ascur- 

;  being 

coinci- 

iportapt 

I,  in  all 

iect,  and 

r  of  this 
ning  the 
e  is  C0n- 
>iana  and 
Fes,  thf 
ame  spe-  'A 
n,  or  big 

Professor 
nded  by 
notwith- 
y  are,  in 
in  other 
I  reality, 
sraelites. 
Syria,  in 
ipter  13, 
Drk,  and 

rovemor 
le  west, 
^en  the 
to  have 
thing  of 
I  in  the 
intucky 
an,  has 


led  intelligent  gentlemen,  who  have  seen  them,  to  call  them  mum- 
mies. 

They  are  some  of  the  most  memorable  of  the  antiquities  that 
North  America  contains.  The  race,  or  nation,  to  which  they  be- 
longed is  extinct  \  but  in  preceding  ages,  occupied  the  region  situ- 
ated between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  on  the  north,  and  of  Mexico 
on  the  south,  and  hounded  eastwardiy  by  the  Alleghany  mountains, 
and  westwardly  by  the  Mississippi  River. 

That  they  were  similar  in  their  origin  and  character,  to  the  pre- 
sent inhabitants  of  the  Pacitic  ishuids,  and  of  Australasia,  is  argued 
from  various  circumstances.  1st :  Tlie  sameness  of  texture  in  the 
plain  cioth  or  matting  that  enwraps  the  mummies,  and  that  which 
our  navigators  bring  from  Wakash,  the  Sandwich  islands,  and  the 
Fegees.  2d :  The  close  resemblance  there  is  between  the  feathery 
mantles  brought,  now-a-days,  from  the  islands  of  the  South  Sea, 
and  those  wrappers  which  surround  the  mummies  lately  disinter- 
red in  the  western  states.  The  plumes  of  birds  are  twisted  or  tied 
1$'  to  threads,  with  peculiar  skill,  and  turn  water  like  the  back  of  a 
^  duck.  3d  :  Meshes  of  nets  regularly  knotted  and  tied,  and  formed 
of  a  strong  and  even  twine.  4th  :  Moccasins,  or  coverings  of  the, 
feet,  manufactured  with  remarkable  ability,  from  the  bark  or  rind 
»  of  plants,  worked  into  a  sort  of  stout  matting.  5th:  Pieces  of 
antique  sculpture,  especially  of  human  heads,  and  of  some  other 
forms,  found  where  the  exterminated  tribes  had  dwelt,  resembUng 
the  garving  at  Otaheite,  New-Zealand,  and  other  places.  6th : 
Works  of  defence  or  fortifications,  overspreading  the  fertile  tract  of 
country,  formerly  possessed  by  these  people,  who  may  be  supposed 
capable  of  building  works  of  much  greater  magnitude  than  the 
moi'ais,  or  burial  places,  and  the  hippos,  or  fighting  stages,  of  the 
Society  Islands.  7th :  As  far  as  observation  has  gone,  a  belief, 
that  the  shape  of  the  skull,  and  the  angle  of  the  face,  in  the  mum- 
mies, (found  in  the  west,)  correspond  with  those  of  the  living 
Malays. 

I  reject,  therefore,  the  doctrine  taught  by  the  European  natural- 
ists, that  the  man  of  western  Araerira  differs,  in  any  material  point 
from  the  man  of  eastern  Asia.  Had  the  Ilobertsons,,the  Buiibns, 
the  Raynals,  the  De  Pauwys,  and  the  other  speculators  upon  the 
American  character,  and  the  viHifiers  of  the  American  name,  pro- 
cured tbe  requisite  information  coocbrning  the  hemispitere  situated 


390 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


It  i 


west  of  us,  they  would  have  discovered  that  the  inhabitants  of  vut 
regions  of  Asia,  to  the  number  of  many  millions,  were  of  the  iame 
blood  and  lineage  with  the  millions  of  America,  whom  they  affect 
to  undervalue  and  despise. 

But  notwithstanding  the  celebrity,  founded  on  the  great  erudi- 
tion and  critical  research  of  Professor  Mitchell,  we  cannot  subscribe 
to  this  opinion  respecting  the  red  headed  mummy  now  in  the  New- 
York  Museum,  found  in  a  saltpetre  cave  in  Kentucky-  It  is  a  well 
known  fact,  that  invariably  all  the  nations  of  the  esrth,  who  are  pf 
the  swarthy  or  black  complexion,  have  black  eyes,  together  with 
black  hair,  either  straight  or  curled. 

But  those  nations  belonging  to  the  white  class,  have  a  great  va- 
riety of  colour  in  their  eyes ;  as  blue,  light  blue,  dark  blue,  gray, 
black,  and  reddish,  with  many  shades  of  variations,  ipore  than  we 
have  terms  to  express.  Where  this  is  so,  the  same  variety  exists 
respecting  the  colour  of  the  hair ;  black,  white,  auburn,  and  red. 
9  We  are  sure  this  is  a  characteristic  of  the  two  classes  of  mankind, 
the  dark  and  the  white.  If  so,  then  the  Kentucky  body,  found  in 
the  cave,  is  not  of  Malay  origin,  but  of  Scandinavian  ;  of  whom, 
as  a  nation,  it  is  said  that  the  predominant  colour  of  the  Jiair  of  the 
head  was  red.  f  */?'^    ,s 

And  further,  we  object,  that  the  traits  of  ancient  population  found 
in  Canada,  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  to  be  of  Malay  origin, 
but  rather  of  Scandinavian  also.  Our  reason  is  as  follows :  It  is 
unreasonable  to  suppose  the  Malays,  Australasian,  and  Polynesian 
nations  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  who  were  originally  from  the 
eastern  coasts  of  China,  situated  in  mild  climates,  should  penetrate 
so  far  north  as  the  countries  in  Canada,  to  fix  their  habitations. 
But  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  the  Scandinavian,  the  Welch,  or 
the  Scottish  clans,  'all  of  whom  inhabit  cold,  very  cold  countries, 
should  be  delighted  with  such  a  climate,  as  any  part  of  either  Up- 
per or  Lower  Canada. 

And  farther,  as  a  reason  that  the  Malay  nations  never  inhabited 
any  part  of  *he  Canadas,  we  notice,  that  in  those  regions  there  are 
found  no  traces  of  their  peculiar  skill  and  labour  ascribed  to  them 
by  Professor  Mitchell,  which  are  the  great  mounds  of  the  west.  In 
Canada  we  know  not  that  any  have  been  discovered.  But  other 
works,  of  warlike  character,  abound  there  in  the  form  of  long  lines 
of  defensive  preparations,  corresponding  with  similar  works  in  the 


'%'  1 


T^r 


AND   DIICOVERIES   IN  THE  WEST. 


291 


s  of  vut 

the  »ame 
ey  affect 

!at  erudi- 
lubscribe 
he  New- 
is  a  well 
ho  are  pf 
her  with 


north  of  Europe,  and'  in  many  places  in  the  State  of  New- York, 
and  in  other  Atlantic  states,  as  before  noticed.  On  which  account, 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  the  ancient  traits  of  a  former  civilized 
population,  found  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  to  be  of  Euro- 
pean, rather  than  of  Malay  origin. 


great  va- 
ne, gray, 
than  we 
:ty  exists 
and  red. 
lankind, 
found  in 
f  whom, 
ir  of  the 

ion  found 
y  origin, 
s:  It  is 
ly»esian 
from  the 
^netrate 
itations. 
^elch,  or 
>untries, 
ler  Up- 

babited 
ere  are 
o  them 
9t.  In 
t  other 
g  lines 
in  the 


FORTHER  REMARKS  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  HUMAN  COMPLEX- 
IONS. 

■  I.  * 

As  to  the  curious  subject  of  the  different  complexions  of  man, 
"  I  consider,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  the  human  family  under  three  di- 
visions. 1st :  The  tawny  man ;  comprehending  the  Tartars,  Ma- 
lays, Chinese,  the  American  Indians,  of  every  tribe,  Lascars,  and 
other  people  of  the  same  cast  and  breed. 

"  2d :  The  white  man,  inhabiting  the  countries  in  Asia  and  Eu- 
rope, situftted  north  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea ;  and,  in  the  course 
of  his  adventures,  settling  all  over  the  world.  Among  whom  I  re- 
kon  the  Greenlanders,  and  the  Esquimaux  nations. 

"  3d  :  The  black  man,  whose  proper  residence  is  in  the  regions 
south  of  the  Mediterranean,  particularly  toward  the  interior  of  Afri- 
ca. The  people  of  Papua  and  Van  Dieman's  Land,  seem  to  be  of 
this  class-"  .« 

"  It  is  generally  supposed,  aud  by  many  able  and  ingenious  men, 
that  external  physical  causes,  and  combination  of  circumstances, 
which  they  call  climaief  have  wrought  all  these  changes  in  the  hu- 
man  form  "  and  complexion.  "  I  do  not,  however,  think  them  ca- 
pable of  explaining  the  differences  which  exist  among  the  nations," 
on. this  principle.  *'  There  is  an  internal  physical  cause  of  the 
greatest  moment,  which  has  scarcely  been  mentioned.  This  is  the 
generative  influence.  If  by  the  act  of  modelling  the  constitution 
in  the  embryo  and  foetus,  a  predisposition  to  gout,  madness,  scrofula, 
and  consumption  may  be  engendered^  we  may  rationally  conclude, 
with  the  sagacious  d'Azara,  that  the  procreative  power  may  also 
shape  the  natures,  tinge  the  skin,  and  give  other  peculiarities  to  the 
form  of  man," — Aim.  Antq.jp.  335 — 332. 


999 


iUKRICAN  ANTIQCITIM 


I! 


But  Mr.  Volney,  (see  his  View  of  America,  page  407,)  the 
Frenchman,  who,  it  is  said,  travelled  far  to  the  west  to  see  the  ex- 
traordinary sight  of  the  man  of  nature,  in  his  pureness,  unHophisti- 
cated  by  any  Bible,  or  priestly  influence,  says,  that  the  sole  cause 
of  the  difference  of  human  complexion,  is  the  rays  of  the  sun  and 
climates  ;  and  that,  "  soon  or  late,  it  will  be  proved  that  the  black- 
ness of  the  African  has  no  other  cause." 

To  prove  this,  he  tells  us  the  story  of  his  acquaintance  with  a  fa- 
mous Indian  chief,  the  Little  Tortoise ;  whose  skin,  he  says,  was  a» 
white  as  his  own,  where  it  had  not  been  exposed  to  the  sun.  Also 
that  when  he  was  among  the  Turks,  he  was  of  the  same  complex- 
ion with  the  Turks,  except  along  the  upper  part  of  his  forehead, 
where  the  turban  had  screened  the  skin  fiom  the  wind. 

He  farther  adds  the  story  of  the  coloured  man  in  Virginia,  by 
name  Henry  Morse,  who,  a  descendant,  in  the  third  generation,  of 
Congo  parentage,  became,  in  the  course  of  six  or  seven  years,  en- 
tirely white,  with  long  sleek  brown  hair,  like  a  European.  If  thi» 
was  so,  all  we  can  admit  respecting  it,  is,  that  it  was  doubtless  a 
disorder  of  some  sort,,  seated  in  the  skin  of  his  body,  of  a  most  for- 
tunate kind,  rather  than  any  predetermining  principle  i|)^the  air  to 
change  him  white.  B  ^\.-    .      '^ 

This  author  informs  us  also,  that  a  negro  child  is  bom  white,  but 
grows  black  within  four  and  twenty  hours.  But  we  cannot  avoid 
thinking  his  oonclusions  very  singular,  when  we  recollect  that  in 
the  case  of  himself  and  Little  Tortoise,  the  chief,  that  the  air  or 
climate  caused  them,  otherwise  white  and  fair,  to  become  so  brown 
and  tawny ;  while,  in  the  case  of  the  negro,  Henry  Morse,  the 
same  climate  caused  him,  in  a  short  time,  to  become  exceedingly 
white  and  fair.        . ,  ,   ^         a*    '^ „      /«•  »ii^^ 

The  child  also  born  white,  of  African  parents,  becoming  black, 
in  twenty-four  hours ;  surely  this  is  a  powerful  climate,  if  it  is  the 
tok  cause  of  the  colour  of  the  Ethiopean.  We  cannot  subscribe  to 
this  gentleman^s  theory,  nor  to  the  theory  of  any  of  the  same  way 
of  thinking ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  Indian  blood,  when  mix- 
ed with  the  white,  is  equally  inveterate,  if  not  more  so,  to  become 
eradicated  by  a  course  of  time  ;  the  sly  Indian  looking  out,  here 
and  there,  for  many  generations. 

Tbb  idea  of  the  three  original  complexions,  black,  tawny,  and 
white,  we  have  supposed  was  realized  in  the  persons  of  Noab'» 


f'%^^^'.^fc^^*^^^*^^^jj^^i'^^'^^^ ' 


AND   DIICOVBRIBS  IM   TUB   nBlT. 


391 


[7,)  the 
I  (he  ex- 

ophisti-' 
|e  cause 
sun  and 

black- 


three  ions,  Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth ;  and  although  Mr.  Mitchell 
has  not  fixed  on  a  starting  place,  be  has,  nevertheless,  admitted  the 
principle,  and  has  referred  the  cause  of  complexion  and  shape  to 
the  procreative  and  generative  act,  excluding,  totally,  any  influence 
which  climate  or  food  may  be  supposed  to  have,  as  has  been  con- 
tended by  many ;  which,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  understand  hid 
meaning,  is  referring  the  complexions  of  the  human  race  immedi- 
ately to  the  arbitrary  act  of  God.  To  this  doctrine  we  most  cor- 
dially subscribe ;  because  it  is  so  simple  and  natural,  the  very  way 
in  which  the  great  Creator  always  works.  First  fixing  the  princi- 
ples of  nature,  as  gravitation  and  motion,  which  keep  the  worlds  in 
their  courses.  Were  it  not  for  these,  all  would  stand  still,  and  na- 
ture would  die.  Fire,  in  its  endless  variations,  breathes  through  all 
matter,  expands  the  leaves  of  all  forests,  and  adorns  them  with  all 
flowers,  gives  motion  to  the  air,  which,  iu  that  motion,  is  called  the 
winds  of  heaven. 

Fire  gives  liquescency  to  the  waters  of  the  globe;  were  it  not 
for  this  all  fluids  that  now  move  over  the  earth  iu  rivers,  brooks, 
springs,  or  oceans,  or  passes  by  subterranean  channels  through  the 
earth,  or  circulates  in  the  pores  of  trees  and  herbage,  with  the  wa- 
tery fluids  of  all  animated  life,  would  stand  still,  would  congeal, 
would  freeze  to  one  universal  mass  of  death. 

Also,  in  the  secret  embryo  of  earth's  productions,  as  in  all  veger 
tation,  all  animals,  and  all  human  beings,  is  fixed  the  principle  of 
variety.  Were  it  not  for  this,  what  vast  confusion  would  ensue. 
If  all  human  beings  looked  alike,  and  all  human  voices  sounded 
alike,  there  would  be  an  end  to  society,  to  social  order,  to  the  di»- 
tinctions  between  friend  and  foe,  relatives  and  strangers ;  conver- 
sation would  be  misapplied,  identity  at  an  end,  subjects  of  investi- 
gation and  research,  arts  and  science,  could  have  no  objects  to  fix 
upon ;  such  a  state  of  things  would  be  a  fearful  retrogade  toward  a 
state  of  insensibility  and  non-existence.  .    ,   >  i.^**- , 

And  is  it  not  also  as  evident  that  God  has  fixed,  as  well  the  se- 
cret principle  which  produces  complexion,  as  it  appears  in  an  un- 
mixed state  in  the  human  subject,  as  that  he  has  the  other  princi- 
ples just  rehearsed,  and  equally  as  arbitrarily.  Vegetation  mixes, 
and  in  this  way  gives  varieties  in  form,  colour  and  flavor,  not 
strictly  original.  Also  tlie  original  complexions  in  their  pure  state, 
of  black,  tawny  and  white,  have  also  by  mixtures  produced  their 


m 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIEI 


^  wties  \  but  0k  rt?r  outset,  iu  the  embryo,  there  must  be  a  first 
^  'tuipoeiug  priiK-ipic  to  f'lkch  of  these  complexions,  fixed  on  a  more 
peiuiMUeut  basis  than  that  of  food  and  climate  ;  or  else  food  and 
climate,  after  these  had  niar1<  white  race  of  men,  or  a  tawny 
race,  black,  might  be  exiwcted  in  dwf  time,  if  removed  to  a  ciiinato 
favoring,  to  eh  iige  them  all  back  again,  as  at  first ;  but  this  is  con- 
trary to  all  experience  on  *hc  subject,  in  -^11  ages  and  climates  of 
the  earth.  Therefore  we  lix  on  the  idea  of  a  first  principle,  placed 
io  the  generative  powers  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  from  whom  their  se- 
veral progenies  derived  the  black,  the  red  or  tawny,  and  the  white, 
in  all  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  natural  operations. 


FURTHER  REMARKS  RESPECTING  HUMAN  COMPLEXION  WITH 

OTHER  INTERESTING  SUBJECTS. 
•■  .  .  * 

In  another  communication,  which  in  part  was  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, though  addressed  to  the  secretary  of  tlte  American  Ahtiqua- 
rian  Society,  Dr.  Mitchell,  sax  s,  "  In  that  memoir  (alluding  to  the 
one  addressed  to  De  Witt  rnuton,)  I  Kiaintaincd  the  doctrine,  that 
there  were  but  three  oriquial  vniielies  of  the  human  race,  the  tawny 
man,  the  white  man,  and  the  black ;  a  division  which  I  am  pleased 
to  observe,  the  incomparable  author  of  the  Animal  Kingdom  has 
adopted  in  France.  The  former  of  these  seems  to  have  occupied, 
in  the  earliest  days,  the  plain  watered  by  the  Euphrates  and  the 
Tigris,  while  the  white  Arab,  as  he  has  eometimes  been  called, 
was  found  in  the  regions  north  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  the 
sable  Arab,  or  negro,  inhabited  to  the  south  of  that  expanse  of 
water. 

Of  the  brown,  or  tawny  variety,  are  the  en-  <t.«  Aw  "  s^  and 
western  Americans,  divisible  into  two  great  stocks,  oi  genealogies; 
first,  those  in  high  latitudes,  whom  I  call  Tartars;  and,  second, 
those  who  inhabit  low  or  soutliem  latitudes,  whom  I  consider  as 
Ms\lays.  I  am  convinced  that  terms,  Tartar  and  Malay,  for  the 
;  ,  c..  .  puiT.'>ses  of  reasoning,  are  equally  applicable  to  the  two 
|,;i\  i.  coctinints ;  avxd  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  negro  coloniea 


f 


AND  DIICOVERIEI  IN  THB   WEST. 


296 


i»  con- 
oatcs  of 

placed 
Heir  se- 

white, 


in  Papua,  and  a  few  other  plai .  s  the  Islanders  in  the  Pacific  are 
Malays. 

My  observations  led  me,  sev-ral  years  ngn,  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  two  great  continents,  Asia  and  America,  were  peopled  by  simi- 
lar races  of  men  ;  and  that  '  nnerica,  as  .  "M  as  Asia,  had  its  Tar- 
tars in  the  north,  and  its  Malays  in  the  south.  America  has  had 
her  Scythians,  her  Alans,  and  her  Huns  -  but  there  has  been  no  his- 
torian to  record  their  formidable  migrations,  and  their  barbarous 
achievements :  how  little  of  past  events  do  we  know. 

Sj  io«  the  firat  publication  of  my  sentiments  on  this  subject,  at 
!>•  na  Iheyhave  been  published  in  several  places  abroad.  Mr.  K. 
Salve  rte,  editor  of  the  Bibliotheque  Universelle,  has  printed  them 
at  Geneva,  in  Switzerland,  with  a  learned  and  elaborate  comment. 
The  Monthly  Magazine  of  London,  contains  an  epitome  of  the 
same. 

The  comparison  of  the  language  spoken  by  these  Asiatic  and 
American  nations,  colonies  and  tribes,  respectively,  was  begun  by 
our  learned  fellow  citizen,  the  late  Dr.  B.  S.  Barton.  The  ^  ark 
has  been  continued  by  the  Adelangs  and  Vater,  distinguished  phi- 
lologists of  Germany.  Their  profound  inquiry  into  the  structure  of 
language  and  thd  elements  of  speech,  embraces  a  more  correct  and 
condensed  body  of  information,  concerning  the  original  tongues  of 
the  two  Americas,  than  was  ever  compiled  and  arranged  before- 
Theii  iviithridates  surpasses  all  similar  performances  that  have  ever 
been  achieved  by  man. 

One  of  my  intelligent  correspondents,  who  has  surveyed  with  his 
own  eyes,  the  region  watered  by  the  Ohio,  wrote  me  very  lately 
a  letter  containing  the  following  paragraph : 

"  I  have  adopted  your  theory  respecting  the  Malays,  Polynesians 
and  Alleghanians.  This  last  nation,  so  called  by  the  Lenni-knapiy 
or  primitive  stock  of  our  hunting  Indians,  was  that  which  inhabited 
the  United  States,  before  the  Tartar  tribes  came  and  destroyed 
them,  and  who  erected  the  mounds,  works,  fortifications  and  tem- 
ples of  the  western  country.  This  historical  fact  is  now  proved 
beyond  a  doubt,  by  the  traditions  of  the  Lenni-lenapi  Indian,  pub- 
lished by  Heckewelder,  in  the  work  issued  by  the  Philosophical 
Society  of  Philadelphia.  I  may  add,  that  Mr.  Clifford,  of  Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky,  has  proved  another  identity  between  the  Allegha- 
nians and  Mexicans,  by  ascertaining  that  many  supposed  fortifica- 


■r" 


296 


AMERICAI^  ANTIQUITIEI 


tions  were  temples ;  particularly  that  of  Circleville,  in  Ohio,  \rhere 
human  sacrifices  were  one  of  their  rites.  He  has  discovered  their 
similarity  with  the  ancient  Mexican  temples  described  by  Hum- 
boldt, and  has  examined  the  bones  of  victims  in  heaps,  the  shells 
used  in  sacred  rites,  as  in  India,  and  the  idol  of  balced  clay,  con- 
sisting of  three  heads." 

This  opinion  of  human  sacrifices  was  fully  confirmed  by  the  tes- 
timony of  Mr.  Manuel  Liea,  during  the  summer  of  1S18.  He,  on 
his  return  from  the  trading  posts  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  informed 
his  fellow  citizens  at  St.  Louis,  that  the  Wolf  tribe  of  the  P.iwnee 
Indians  yet  followed  the  custom  of  immolating  human  victims. 
He  purchased  a  Spani»h  piisoner,  a  boy  about  ten  years  old,  whom 
they  intended  to  otler  as  a  t>actiiice  to  the  Grtat  Star;  and  they  did 
put  to  death,  by  tnuisfixing  on  a  sharp  pole,  as  an  offering  to  the 
object  of  their  adoration,  the  child  of  a  Paddo  woman,  who,  being 
a''captive  herself,  and  devoted  to  that  sanguinary  and  horrible  death, 
had  made  her  escape  on  horseback,  leaving  her  new  born  offspring 
behind. 

The  triad,  or  trinity  o{  heads,  instantly  brings  to  mind  a  similar 
article  figured  by  the  Indians  of  Asia,  and  described  by  Mr.  Mau- 
rice in  his  Oriental  Researches.  ,  >       .       ;. 

I  received,  a  short  time  since,  directly  from  Mexico,  several 
pieces  of  cloth,  painted  in  the  manner  that  historians  have  often  re- 
presented. I  find  the  material  in  not  a  single  instance  to  be  cotton, 
as  has  been  usually  affirmed.  There  is  not  a  thread  indicating  the 
use  of  the  spinning  wheel,  nor  an  intertexture  showing  that  the 
loom  or  shuttle  was  employed.  In  strictness,  therefore,  there  is 
neither  cotton  nor  cloth  in  the  manufacture.  The  fabrics,  on  the 
contrary,  are  uniformly  composed  of  pounded  bark,  probably  of  the 
mulberry  tree,  and  resembles  the  bark  cloths  prepared  to  this  day, 
in  the  Friendly  and  Society  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  as  nearly 
as  one  piece  of  linen  or  one  blanket  of  wool  resembles  another. 

I  derive  this  conclusion  from  a  comparison  of  the  several  sorts  of 
goods.  They  have  been  examined  together  by  several  excellent 
judges.  For,  at  a  meeting  of  the  New-York  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society,  in  February,  1819, 1  laid  these  specimens  of  bark 
cloth,  with  their  r.spective  colorings  and  paintings,  from  Mexico, 
Otaheite,  and  Tcngataboo,  upon  the  table,  for  the  examination  of 
th)B  vaotnbeTi.     All  were  satisfied  that  there  was  a  most  striking  si- 


1  -,r:-^;' 


AND  DISCOVEXIES  IN  THB  WEST. 


997 


io,  where 
ered  their 
by  Hum- 
the  shells 
clay,  con- 

ythe  tes- 
He,  on 
informed 
;  Pawnee 
victims. 
•Id,  whom 
1  they  did 
iug  to  the 
lio,  being 
ble  death, 
I  oifspring 

a  similar 
VIr.  Mau- 

►  ♦ 

),  several 
!  often  re- 
be  cotton, 
:ating  the 
that  the 
,  there  is 
;s,  on  the 
)ly  of  the 
this  day, 
as  nearly 
ither. 
1  sorts  of 
excellent 
d  Philo- 
i  of  bark 
Mexico, 
lation  of 
king  d- 


multitude  among  the  several  articles.  Not  only  tlie  fabric  but  the 
colours,  and  the  materials  of  which  they  apparently  consisted,  as 
well  as  the  probable  manner  of  putting  them  on,  seemed  to  me 
strong  proofs  of  tb'  i.imeness  of  origin,  in  the  different  tribes  of  a 
people  working  in  the  same  way,  and  retaining  a  sameness  in  their 
arts  of  making  a  thing,  which  answers  the  purpose  of  paper,  of  cloth 
and  a  material  for  writing  and  painting  upon. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  these  rolls  from  New-Spain,  filled  with 
hieroglyphics,  and  imitative  characters,  I  received  a  visit  from  three 
natives  of  South  America,  born  at  St.  Bias,  just  beyond  the  isthmus 
of  Darien,  near  the  equator.     They  were  of  the  Malay  race,  by  their 
physiognomy,  form,  and  general  appearance.     Their  dark  brown 
skins,  their  thin  beards,  the  long,  black,  straight  hair  of  their  heads, 
their  small  hands  and  feet,  and  their  delicate  frame  of  body,  all 
concur  to  mark  their  near  resemblance  to  the  Australasians ;  while 
the  want  of  high  cheek  bones,  and  little  eyes,  placed  wide  apart, 
distinguished  them  sufficiently  from  the  Tartars.     Other  similtudes 
exist.    The  history  of  M.  de  la  Salle's  last  expedition,  and  dis- 
coveries in  North  America,  as  contained  in  the  second  volume  of 
his  Travels.    "  After  travelling  over  plains,  and  sometimes  across 
torrents,  we  arrived  in  the  midst  of  a  very  extraordinary  nation, 
called  the  Biscatonges,  to  whom  we  gave  the  name  of  weepers,  in 
regard  that  upon  the  first  approach  of  strangers,  all  these  people, 
men  as  well  as  women,  usually  fell  a  weeping  most  bitterly. 

That  which  is  yet  more  remarkable,  and  perhaps  very  reasonable 
in  that  custom,  is  that  they  weep  much  more  at  the  birth  of  their 
children,  than  at  their  death ;  because  the  latter  is  esteemed  only 
by  [them  as  it  were  a  journey  or  voyage,  from  whence  they  may 
return  after  the  expiration  of  a  certain  time ;  but  they  look  upon 
their  nativity  as  an  inlet  into  an  ocean  of  dangers  and  misfortunes. 
Compare  this  with  a  passage  in  the  Terpsichore  of  Herodotus,  who 
flourished  about  450  yean;  before  Christ,  chap.  4th,  where,  in  de- 
scribing the  Thracians,  he  observes,  "  that  the  Trausi  have  a  gen- 
eral uniformity    with  the  rest  of  the  Thracians,  (a  branch  of  the 
most  ancient  Greeks,)   except  what  relates  to  the  birth  of  their 
children,  and  burial  of  their  dead.     On  the  birth  of  a  child,  it  is 
placed  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  its  relations,  who  lament  aloud 
the  evils  which,  as  a  human  being,  he  must  necessarily  undergo ; 

38 


▲MERICAIf  ANTIQCITIIf 


all  of  which  supposed  evils,  they  particularly  enumerate  to  the  ehildy 
though  it  understand  it  not." — Bdoe's  translation. 

To  find  a  custom  among  one  of  the  Indian  nations,  in  America^ 
which  so  strikingly  agrees  with  that  of  the  Thracia^i,  a  branch  of 
the  most  ancient  Greek  people,  who  existed  many  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  is  very  extraordinary,  and  would  seem  to  justify  a 
belief  that  we  have  the  descendants  of  the  Greeks  in  our  western 
forests ;  which  also  argues  that  the  ancestors  of  the  tribe  having 
this  curious  custom,  came  early  to  America,  or  they  could  not  have 
so  perfectly  retained  this  practice,  in  their  wanderings  over  Asia, 
who  would  have  inevitably  lost  their  ancient  manners,  by  amalga- 
mations. We  have  before  shown,  in  this  work,  that  Greeks  visited 
South  America,  in  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great,  who  for  aught 
that  can  be  objected,  may  have  left  a  colony,  and  the  Biscatongues 
may  be  their  descendants. 

"  There  is  an  opinion  among  the  Seneca  nation  of  the  Iroquois 
confederacy,  to  this  day,  that  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  cau* 
sed  by  a  Manitau,  or  bad  Spirit,  who  mischievously  intercepts  the 
light  intended  to  be  shed  upon  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants.     Upon 
such  occasions,  the  greatest  solicitude  exists.     All  the  individuals 
of  the  tribe  feel  a  strong  desire  to  diive  away  the  demon,  and  to 
remove  thereby  the  impediment  to  the  transmission  of  luminous 
rays.     For  this  purpose,  they  go  forth,  and  by  crying,  shouting, 
drumming,  and  the  firing  of  guns,  endeavour  to  frighten  him,  and 
they  never  fail  in  their  object,  for  by  courage  and  perseverance, 
they  infallibly  drive- him  off.     His  retreat  is  succeeded  by  a  return 
of  the  obstructed  light.     Something  of  the  same  sort  is  practised 
mong  the  Chippeways,  when  an  eclipse  happens.      The  belief 
among  them  is,  that  there  is  a  battle  between  the  sun  and  moon, 
which  intercepts  the  light.     Their  great  object,  therefore,  is  to  stop 
the  fighting,  and  to  separte  the  cambatants.      They  think  these 
ends  can  be  accomplished  by  withdrawing  the  attention  of  the  con- 
tending parties  from  each  other,  and  diverting  it  to  the  Chippeways 
themselves.     They  accordingly  fill  the  air  with  noise  and  outcry. 
Such  sounds  are  sure  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  warring  powers. 
Their  philosophers  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  strife 
never  lasted  long  after  their  clamonr  and  noisy  operations  began. 
Being  thus  induced  to  be  peaceful,  the  sua  and  moon  separate,  and 
light  is  restored  to  the  Chippeways. 


'-,-»-■ 


AND  DIlCOrtRIES  IN  TlIK   WKIT. 


SM 


America, 
ranch  of 
ed  years 
justify  a 
weslern 
e  having 
not  have 
*er  Asia, 
amalga- 
ms visited 
fot  aught 
catongues 

Iroquois 
are  cau* 
cepts  the 
Upon 
dividuals 
n,  and  to 
luminous 
shouting, 
liim,  and 
verance, 
a  return 
)raclised 
e  belief 
1  moon, 
i  to  stop 
k  these 
he  cou- 
pe ways 
outcry, 
lowers, 
e  strife 
began, 
te,  and 


Now  it  is  reported,  on  the  authority  of  one  of  the  Jesuit  fathers 
of  the  French  mission  in  India,  that  a  certain  tribe  or  people,  vtrhom 
he  visited  there,  ascribed  eclipses  to  the  presence  of  a  great  dragon. 
This  creature,  by  the  interposition  of  his  huge  body,  obstructed 
the  passage  of  the  light  to  our  world ;  they  were  persuaded  they 
could  drive  him  away  by  terrifying  sounds,  in  which  they  were  al- 
ways successful,  as  the  dragon  soon  retired  in  great  alarm,  when 
the  eclipses  immdiately  terminated. 

The  manner  of  depositing  the  bodies  of  distinguished  persons  af- 
ter death,  is  remarkable.  Among  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  banks 
of  the  Columbia  river,  which  empties  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  la- 
titude 47  degrees  north,  and  in  some  of  those  which  live  near  the 
waters  of  the  Missouri,  the  dead  body  of  a  great  man  is  neither 
consumed  by  fire,  nor  buried  in  the  earth,  but  it  is  placed  in  his 
canoe,  with  his  articles  uf  dress,  ornament,  war,  ana  ticnting,  and 
suspended  in  the  canoe,  between  two  trees,  to  putrify  in  the  open 
air.  The  custom  of  exposing  bodies  to  decompo^idon  above  ground, 
in  the  morais,  or  places  of  deposit  for  the  dead,  among  the  Polyne- 
sians, will  immediately  occur  to  every  reader  of  the  voyages  made 
within  the  last  half  century,  through  the  Pacific  Ocean  for  the  pur- 
poses of.  discovery. 


CANNIBALISM  IN  AMERICA, 

The  practice  of  cannibalism  exists  in  full  force,  in  the  Fegee 
islands.  A  particular  and  faithful  account  of  it  is  contained  in  the 
14th  volume  of  the  Medical  Repository,  chaps.  209,  and  215.  The 
History  of  the  five  Indian  nations  dependant  upon  the  government 
of  New-York,  by  Dr.  Golden,  page  1S5 — 6,  shows  that  the  fero- 
cious and  vindictive  spirit  of  the  conqueror  led  him  occasionally  to 
feast  upon  his  captive.  The  Ottawas  having  taken  an  Iroquois 
prisoner,  made  a  soup  of  his  flesh.  The  like  has  been  repeatedly 
done  since,  on  select  occasions,  by  other  tribes.  Governour  Cass, 
of  Michigan,  informed  me,  that  among  the  Miamis,  there  was  a 
standing  commitice,  consisting  seven  warriors,  whose  business  it 


300 


AMERICAN    ANTIQITIES 


was  to  perform  the  man  eating  required  by  public  authority.  The 
last  of  their  cannibal  feasts  was  on  the  body  of  a  white  man,  of 
Kentucky,  about  forty  years  ago.  The  appointment  of  the  com- 
mittee to  eat  human  flesh,  has  since  that  time,  gradually  become 
obsolete ;  but  the  oldest  and  last  member  of  this  cannibal  society  is 
well  remembered,  and  died  only  a  few  years  ago. 

A  very  circumstantial  description  of  a  cannibal  feast,  where  a 
soup  was  made  of  the  body  of  an  Englishman,  at  Michilimackinack, 
about  the  year  1760,  in  given  by  Alexander  Henry,  Esq.,  in  his 
book  of  travels  through  Canada  and  the  indian  territories.  In  that 
work  it  is  stated  that  man  eating  was  then,  and  always  had  been, 
practised  among  the  Indian  nations,  on  returning  from  war,  or  on 
overcoming  their  enemios,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  courage 
to  attack,  and  resolution  to  die." — Medical  Repont&ryy  vol  14,  pp. 
S61,  262. 

As  extraordinary  as  this  may  appear,  we  are  informed  by  Baron 
Humboldt,  in  his  personal -narrative,  that  "in  Egypt,  in  the  13th 
century,  five  or  six  hundred  years  ago,  the  habit  of  eating  human 
flesh  pervaded  all  classes  of  society.  Extraordinary  snares  were 
spread,  for  physicians  in  particular.  They  were  called  to  attend 
persons  who  pretended  to  be  sick,  but  who  were  only  hungry,  and 
it  was  not  in  order  to  be  consulted,  but  devoured." 

Situated  west,  north-west,  and  south-west,  of  North  America, 
in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  are  a  vast  number  of  islands,  scattered  over 
all  that  immense  body  of  water,  extending  in  groups  quite  across  to 
China,  along  the  whole  Asiatic  coast.  The  general  character  of 
these  islanders  is  similar,  though  somewhat  diversified  in  language, 
in  complexion  are  much  the  same,  which  is  copper,  with  the  ex- 
ception only  of  now  and  then  people  of  the  African  descent,  and 
those  of  the  Japan  islands,  who  are  white. 

By  examining  Morse,  we  find  them  in  the  practice  of  sacrificing 
human  beings,  and  also  of  devouring  them,  as  we  find  the  savages 
of  America  were  accustomed  to  do  from  time  immemorial ;  having 
but  recently  suspended  the  appalling  custom. 

From  this  similarity,  an  account  of  which,  however,  might  be  ex- 
tended in  detail,  to  a  vast  amount,  existing  between  these  islanders, 
and  the  disinterred  remains  of  the  exterminated  race,  who,  as  it 
is  supposed,  built  most  of  the  works  of  the  west,  it  is  inferred 
they  are  the  same.      Their  complexion  and  manners  agree,  at  the 


tl 
s| 


1    I 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


SOI 


The 

D,  of 


present  time,  with  the  people  of  these  islands ;  we  mean  those  of 
the  Malay  race,  yet  remaining  in  South  America,  in  their  natire 
state  of  society. 

Also  the  natives  of  the  Caribbean  islands  in  the  Caribbean  Sea, 
which  is  the  same  with  the  Golf  of  Mexico,  only  this  sea  is  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Gulf,  are  of  the  same  race,  who,  in  their 
migrations  from  the  Pacific  Ocean,  have  peopled  many  parts  of  the 
South  and  North  American  continent,  the  remains  of  whom  are 
found  on  those  islands,  as  well  as  among  the  unsubdued  nations  in 
the  woods  of  South  America. 

It  is  doubtless  a  fact,  that  the  earliest  tribes  who  separated  from 
the  immediate  regions  about  Ararat,  passed  onward  to  the  east, 
across  the  countries  now  called  Persia,  Bucharia,  and  the  Chinese 
empire ;  till  they  reached  the  sea,  or  Pacific  Ocean,  opposite  the 
American  continent. 

From  thence,  in  process  of  time,  on  account  of  an  increase  of  po- 
pulation, they  left  the  main  continent,  in  search  of  the  islands,  and 
passing  from  one  group  to  another,  till  all  those  islands  became 
peopled,  and  until  they  reached  even  the  western  coast  of  not  only 
South  but  North  America. 

At  the  same  time,  tribes  from  the  same  region  of  Arrarat,  travelled 
westward,  passing  over  all  Europe  and  southward,  filling  the  re- 
gions of  Africa,  and  the  islands  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  opposite  the 
coasts  of  South  and  North  America,  till  they  also  reached  the  main 
land,  meeting  their  fellows,  after  having  each  of  them  circumam- 
bulated half  of  the  earth. 

And  having  started  from  the  regions  of  Arrarat  and  the  tower  of 
Babel,  with  languages  differing  one  from  another,  and  having  also 
in  process  of  time,  acquired  habits,  arising  from  differences  of  cir- 
cumstances, mostly  dissimilar  one  from  the  other,  wars  for  the  mas- 
tery the  most  dreadful  must  have  ensued,  each  viewing  the  others 
as  intruders,  from  whence  they  knew  not.  This  is  evident  from 
the  traditions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  Americas ;  some  tribes 
pointing  to  the  easty  others  to  the  westj  and  others  again  to  the  northy 
as  the  way  from  whence  their  ancestors  came. 

According  to  Clavigero,  the  naturalist,  the  ancestors  of  the  na- 
tions which  peopled  Anahuac,  now  called  New  Spain,  might  have 
passed  from  the  northern  countries  of  Europe,  (as  Norway,)  to  the 
northern  parts  of  America,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  which  is  called 


/'■ 


909 


AMERICAK   A^VtlQtnTlIf 


I 


i 


pi 

f 

u 

I' 


British  Araeiica  and  Canada ;  also  from  the  most  eastern  parts  of 
Asia  to  the  most  western  parts  of  America.  This  conclusion  i» 
founded  on  the  constant  and  general  tradition  of  those  nations, 
which  unanimously  say,  that  their  ancestors  came  into  Anahuac, 
or  New-Spain,  from  the  countries  of  the  north  and  northwest.  This 
tradition  is  confirmed  by  the  remains  of  many  ancient  edifices, 
built  by  those  people  in  their  migrations.  In  a  journey  made  by 
the  Spaniards  in  1600,  more  than  two  hundred  yttarn  since,  from 
New-Mexico  to  the  river  which  they  call  Tizan,  six  hundred  miles 
from  Anahuac,  towards  the  noithwest,  they  found  there  some  large 
edifices,  and  met  with  some  Indians  who  spoke  the  Mexicifti  lan- 
guage, and  who  told  them  that  a  few  days  journey  from  that  river, 
towards  the  north,  was  the  kingdom  of  Tolan,  and  many  other  in- 
habited places,  from  whence  the  Mexicans  migrated.  In  fact,  the 
whole  population  of  Anahuac  have  usually  nfliirmed  that  towards 
the  north  were  the  kingdoms  and  provinces  of  Tolan,  Aztalan,  Ca- 
pallan,  and  several  others,  which  are  all  Mexican  names,  now  so  de- 
signated ;  but  were  we  to  trace  these  names  to  their  origin,  they 
would  be  found  to  be  of  Mongol  or  Mogul  origin  from  Asia.  Bo- 
turini,  or  Bouterone,  a  learned  antiquarian  of  Paris,  of  the  17th 
century,  says,  that  in  the  ancient  paintings  of  the  Taltecas,  a  nation 
of  Mexico,  or  more  anciently  called  Anahuac,  was  represented  the 
migrations  of  their  ancestors  through  Asia,  and  the  northern  coun-^ 
tries  of  America,  until  they  established  themselves  in  the  country 
of  Tolan — Morse,  p.  6\S. 

This  river  Tizan  is,  unquestionably,  the  river  Columbia,  which 
belongs  to  the  territory  owned  by  the  United  States,  bordering  on 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  in  latitude  47  degrees  north ;  which  from 
Anahuac,  in  Mexico,  is  just  about  that  distance  (600  miles) ;  and 
this  river  being  the  only  one  of  much  size  emptying  into  the  sea  on 
that  side  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  between  the  latititude  of  Mexico 
and  the  latitude  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  is  the  reason  why 
that  liver  may,  almost  with  certainty,  be  supposed  the  very  Indian 
Tizan.  But  still  farther  north,  several  days'  journey,  were  the 
kingdoms  and  provinces  of  Tolan,  Aztalan  and  Capallan,  which 
were  probably  in  the  latitude  with  the  northern  parts  of  the  United 
States'  lands  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  filling  all  the  re- 
gions east  us  far  as  the  head  waters  of  the  great  western  rivers ; 
thence  down  thoso  btream.s  peopling  the  vast  alluviala  in  Indiana^ 


AND   DI8C0T£IlIkS    I  If   THK   WBIT. 


Ml 


parts  of 
|cIuslon  i» 
nations, 
nnhuac, 
t.    Thb 
edifices, 
niade  by 
oe,  from 
red  miles 
•me  I«rge 
icjfti  lan- 
at  river, 
other  in- 
fact,  the 
towards 
dan,  Ca- 
)\v  so  de- 
jin,  they 
ia.     Bo- 
he  17th 
a  natiou 
nted  the 
ra  coun- 
country 

,  which 
iring  on 
ch  from 
0;  and 
sea  on 
Vlexico 
»n  why 
Indian 
re  the 
which 
Jnited 
be  re- 
ivers J 
ijnna. 


Missouri,  Illinois,  Northwestern  Territory,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Mia- 
«issippi,  and  so  on  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Although  those  kiugdonns  and  provinces  spoken  of  by  the  natives 
of  Tiznn,  to  these  Spanish  advienturers,  had  many  hundred  years 
before  boen  vacated  of  their  population  and  grandeur ;  yet  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  retain  the  tradition  of  theirnumbers  and  extent; 
and  to  speak  of  them  as  then  cxislin;;,  which,  as  to  latitude  and  lo-^ 
cation,  was  true,  although  in  a  state  of  ruin,  like  the  edifices  at  the 
Tizan,  or  Columbia. 

In  an  address  delivered  at  New- York  before  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians, by  Dr.  Mitchell,  which  relates  to  the  migrations  of  Malays, 
Tartars  and  Scandinavians,  we  have  the  following. 

"  A  late  German  writer,  Prof.  Vater,  has  published,  at  Leipzig, 
a  book  on  the  population  of  America.  He  lays  great  stress  on  the 
.tongues  spoken  by  the  aborigines,  and  dwells  considerably  upon 
the  unity  pervading  the  whole  of  them,  from  Chili  to  the  remotest 
district  of  North  America,  whether  of  Greenland,  Chippewa,  Dela- 
ware, Natick,  Totauaka,  Cora  or  Mexico.  Though  ever  so  singu- 
lar and  diversified,  nevertheless  the  same  peculiarity  obtains  among 
them  all,  which  cannot  be  accidental,  viz :  the  whole  sagacity  of 
that  people,  from  whom  the  construction  of  the  American  languages, 
and  the  gradual  invention  of  their  grammatical  forms  is  derived, 
has,  as  it  were,  selected  one  object,  and  over  this  diffused  such  an 
abundance  of  forms,  that  one  is  astonished ;  while  only  the  most 
able  philologist,  or  grammarian  of  languages,  by  assiduous  study,  can 
obtain  a  general  view  thereof. 

"  In  substance,  the  author  (Prof.  Vator,)  says,  that  through  va- 
rious times  and  circumstances,  this  peculiar  character  is  preserved. 
Such  unity,  such  direction,  or  tendency,  compels  us  to  place  the 
origin  in  a  remote  period,  when  one  original  tribe  or  people  existed, 
whose  ingenuity  and  judgment  enabled  them  to  excogitate  or  invent 
such  intricate  formations  of  language  as  could  not  be  effaced  by 
thousands  of  years,  nor  by  the  influence  of  zones  and  climates. 

"  Mr.  Vater  haS  published  a  large  work,  entitled  Milhridales,  in 
which  he  has  given  an  extensive  comparison  of  all  the  Asiatic,  Af- 
rican and  American  languages,  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  was 
done  by  our  distinguished  fellow  citizen,  Dr.  Barton  of  Philadel- 
phia, Professor  of  Natural  History.  Mr.  Vater  concludes  by  ex- 
pressing his  desire  to  unravel  the  mysteries  which  relate  to  the  new 


804 


▲MBRICA^  ANTIQtJiYlfii 


•nd  old  continento ;  at  leut  to  contribute  the  contents  of  hit  volume 
towards  the  commencement  of  a  structure,  which,  out  of  the  ruins 
of  dilacerated  human  tribes,  seeks  materials  for  an  union  of  the 
whole  human  race  in  one  origin ;  which  some  have  disputed,  not- 
withstanding the  plain  statement  of  the  Bible  on  that  subject, 
which  is  a  book  entitled  to  the  term  antiquity,  paramount  to  all 
other  records  now  in  existence  on  the  earth. 

*<  What  this  original  and  radical  language  was,  has  very  lately 
been  the  subject  of  inquiry  by  the  learned  Mr.  Mathieu,  of  Nancy, 
in  France.  The  Chevalier  Valentine,  of  the  order  of  St.  Michael, 
renewed  by  Louis  XVIII.  informs  me  that  this  gentleman  has  exar 
mined  Mr.  Winthrop's  description  of  the  curious  characters  inscrib- 
ed upon  the  rock  at  Dighton,  Massachusetts,  as  published  in  the 
transactions  of  the  Boston  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  He 
thinks  them  hieroglyphics,  which  he  caa  interpret  and  explain ; 
and  ascribes  them  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  ancient  Atlantic  island 
of  Plato,  called  by  him  Atalantis.  Mr.  Mathieu  not  only  professes 
to  give  the  sense  of  the  inscription,  but  also  to  prove  that  the 
tongues  spoken  by  the  Mexicans,  Peruvians,  and  other  occidental 
or  western  people,  as  well  as  the  Greek  itself,  with  all  its  dialects 
and  ramifications,  were  but  derivations  from  the  language  of  the 
finmUvt  Atalantians  of  the  island  of  Plato." — See  page  80,  Sfc. 


ANCIENT  LANGUAGES  OF  THE  FIRST  INHABITANTS  OP 

AMERICA. 

Firtt  Letter  to  Mr.  ChampoHion,  ov  the  Graphic  Systems  o/Americaj 
and  the  Olyphs  of  Otolum  or  Palenquey  in  Central  .^mmca.— By 
C.  S.  Raffinesque. 

You  have  become  celebrated  by  decyphering,  at  last,  the  glyphs 
and  characters  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  which  all  your  learned 
predecessors  had  deemed  a  riddle,  and  pronounced  impossible  to 
read.  You  first  announced  your  discovery  in  a  letter.  I  am  going 
to  follow  your  footsteps  on  another  continent,  and  a  theme  equally 
ebseurc :  to  none  but  yourself  can  I  address  with  more  propriety, 


le 


■%> 


AND   DUOOVERIEI   IN  THE   TTEIT. 


S05 


volume 
Fhe  niios 

of  the 
[ted,  not- 
subject, 
lot  to  all 

ry  lately 
Nancy, 
Tichael, 
|li&9  exa- 
inserib- 
d  in  the 
He 
explain ; 
ic  island 
irofesses 
that  the 
cidental 
dialects 
e  of  the 


I  OP 


menca 


».— By 

"■  \ 

Jljphs 
tarned 
ble  to 
going 
|ually 
riciy, 


letters  on  a  subject  so  much  alike  in  purpose  and  importance,  and 
ao  similar  to  your  own  labors. 

I  shall  not  enter  at  present  into  any  very  elaborate  discussior 
I  shall  merely  detail,  in  a  concise  manner,  the  object  and  result  o. 
my  inquiries,  so  as  to  assert  my  claim  to  a  discovery  of  some  im- 
portance in  a  philological  and  historical  point  of  view  ;  which  was 
announced  as  early  as  1828  in  some  journals,  (3  letters  to  Mr.  M'- 
Culloh  on  the  American  nations,)  but  not  properly  illustrated. 
Their  full  development  would  require  a  volume,  like  that  of  yours 
on  the  Egyptian  antiquities,  and  may  follow  this  perhaps  at  some 
future  time. 

It  may  be  needful  to  prefix  the  following  principles  as  guides  to 
my  researches,  or  results  of  my  inquiries. 

1 .  America  has  been  the  land  of  false  systems ;  all  those  ma'*.', 
in  Europe  on  it  are  more  or  less  vain  and  erroneous. 

2.  The  Americans  were  equal  in  antiquity,  civilization  and  sci- 
ences to  the  nations  of  Africa  and  Europe ;  like  them  the  children 
of  the  Asiatic  nations. 

3.  It  is  false  that  no  American  nations  had  systems  of  writing, 
glyphs  and  letters.  Several  had  various  modes  of  perpetuating 
ideas. 

4.  There  were  several  such  graphic  systems  in  America  to  ex- 
press ideas,  all  of  which  find  equivalents  in  the  east  continent. 

5.  They  may  be  ranged  in  twelve  series,  proceeding  from  the 
most  simple  to  thr  most  complex. 

Ut  Series. — Pictured  symbols  or  glyphs  of  the  Toltecas,  Aztecas, 
Huaztecas,  Skeres,  Panos,  &c.  Similar  to  the  first  symbols  of  the 
Chinese,  invented  by  Tien-hoang,  before  the  flood  and  earliest 
Egyptian  glyphs. 

2d  Series. — Outlines  of  figures  or  abridged  symbols  and  glyphs, 
expressing  words  or  ideas,  used  by  almost  all  the  nations  of  North 
and  South  America,  even  the  most  rude.  Similar  to  the  second 
kind  of  Egyptian  symbols,  and  the  tortoise  letters  brought  to  China 
by  the  Lmgma  (dragon  and  horse)  nation  of  barbarous  horsemen, 
under  Sui-gin. 

3d  Series. — Quipos  or  knots  on  strings  used  by  the  Peruvians 
and  several  other  So«th  American  nations.  Similar  to  the  third 
kind  of  Chinese  glyphs  introduced  under  Yong-chingj  and  used 
also  by  many  nations  of  Africa. 

39 


300 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


it 


4th  5mea.— Wampums  or  strings  of  shells  and  beads,  used  by 
many  nations  of  North  America.  Similar  to  those  used  by  some 
ancient  or  rude  nations  in  all  the  parts  of  the  world,  as  tokens  of 

ideas.  ^ 

5th  Series.— Runic  glyphs  or  marks  #d  notches  on  twigs  or 
lines,  used  by  several  nations  of  North  America.  Consimilar  to  the 
runic  glyphs  of  the  Celtic  and  Teutonic  nations. 

6th  Scn'c*.— Runic  marks  and  dots,  or  graphic  symbols,  not  on 
strings  nor  lines,  but  in  rows ;  expressing  words  or  ideas ;  used  by 
the  ancient  nations  of  North  America  and  Mexico,  the  Talegas,  Az- 
tecas,  Natchez,  Powhatans,  Tuscaroras,  &c.,  and  also  the  Muhiz- 
cas  of  South  America.  Similar  to  the  ancient  symbols  of  the  Etrus- 
cans, Egyptians,  Celts,  &c.  and  the  Ho-tu  of  the  Chiuese,  invented 
by  Tsang-hie,  called  also  the  Ko-teu-chu  letters,  which  were  in  use 
in  China  till  827  before  our  era. 

tth  Series. — Alphabetical  symbols,  expressing  syllables  f>r  aounds, 
not  words  but  grouped,  and  the  groups  disposed  in  rows ;  such  i» 
the  graphic  system  of  the  monuments  of  Otolum,  near  Palenque, 
the  American  Thebes.  Consimilar  to  the  groups  of  alphabetical 
symbols  used  by  the  ancient  Jjybians,  Egyptians,  Persians,  and  also 
the  last  graphic  system  of  the  Chinese,  called  Ventze^  invented  by 
Sse-hoang. 

8th  Series. — Cursive  symbols  in  groups,  sttr,  the  groups  in  paral- 
lel rows,  derived  from  the  last,  (which  are  chiefly  monumental,) 
and  used  in  the  manuscripts  of  the  Mayans,  Guatamalans,  &c. 
Consimilar  to  the  actual  cursive  Chinese,  some  demotic  Egyptian, 
any  many  modifications  of  ancient  graphic  alphabets,  grouping  the 
letters  or  syllables. 

9th  Series. — Syllabic  letters,  expressing  syllables,  not  simple 
sounds,  and  disposed  in  rows.  Such  is  the  late  syllabic  alphabet  of 
the  Cherokis,  and  many  graphic  inscriptions  found  in  North  and 
South  America.  Similar  to  the  syllabic  alphabets  of  Asia,  Africa 
and  Polynesia. 

10th  Series. — Alphabets  or  graphic  letters,  expressing  simple 
sounds  and  disposed  in  rows.  Found  in  many  inscriptions,  medals, 
and  coins  in  North  and  South  America,  and  lately  introduced  every 
where  by  the  European  colonists.  Similar  tc  ^he  alphabets  of  Asia, 
Africa  and  Europe. 


A^:^- 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


^ 


l\th  Series. — Abreviatioos,  or  letters  standiDg  for  whole  words, 
•or  part  of  a  glyph  and  graphic  deliueation,  standing  and  expressing 
the  whole.  Used  by  almost  all  the  writing  nations  of  North  and 
South  A'inerira,  as  well  as  Asia,  Europe  and  Africa.       ... . 

12th  Scriea. — Numeric  system  of  graphic  signs,  to  express  num- 
bers. All  the  various  kinds  of  signs,  such  as  dots,  lines,  strokes, 
<:ircles,  glyphs,  letters,  &c.,  used  by  some  nations  of  North  and 
South  America,  as  well  as  in  the  eastern  continent. 

In  my  next  letter  I  shall  chiefly  illustrate  the  7th  and  8th  series, 
so  as  to  decypher  and  explain  one  of  the  most  curious  and  least 
Icnown  of  the  American  modes  of  expressing  and  perpetuating  ideas. 
I  shall  give  a  figure  of  a  sample  of  those  monumental  symbols,  with 
comparative  figures  of  two  alphabets  of  Africa,  the  nearest  rdated 
to  them,  and  where  the  elements  may  be  traced,  which  are  grouped 
in  those  glyphs. 

[The  characters  here  presented  are  the  glyphs  alluded  to  by  this 
author,  formed  from  the  combinations  of  the  African  and  AmericoB 
letters,  shown  and  treated  upon  at  page  118  of  this  work. 


At  the  first  glance,  the  most  cursory  observer  is  impressed  with  the 
adea  of  their  likeness  to  the  Chinese  glyphs,  which,  in  the  Ian- 


308 


AMERICAN   AlfTlQUiTIEf 


guiges  in  which  tlicy  were  or  are  in  use,  ii  equivalent  to  the  com- 
bination of  our  letter  when  grouped  so  as  to  spell  words,  and  show 
that  America,  in  its  earliest  history,  was  not  without  its  literati,  and 
means  of  improvement  by  the  use  of  letters,  but  was  lost  by  means 
of  revolutions  as  once  was  the  fate  of  the  Roman  empire. 

We  have  glanced  at  the  following  ciicumstance  before,  on  page 
841  :  we  hope  the  reader  will  excuse  its  repetition,  as  we  wish  in 
thin  place  to  give  the  entire  remarks  of  the  author  on  this  most  in- 
teresting subject,  the  letters  and  glyphs  of  America.] 

Some  years  ago,  the  Society  of  Geography,  of  Paris,  offered  a 
large  prennura  for  a  voyage  to  Guatimola,  and  a  new  survey  of  the 
antiquities  of  Yucatan  and  Chiapa,  chiefly  those  fifteen  miles  from 
Palenque,  which  are  wrongly  called  by  that  name.  I  have  re- 
stored to  them  the  true  name  of  OtohiKi  which  is  yet  the  name  of 
the  stream  running  through  the  ruins.  1  should  have  been  inclined 
to  undertake  this  voyage  and  exploration  myself,  if  the  civil  dis- 
cords of  the  country  did  not  forbid  it.  My  attention  was  drawn 
forcibly  to  this  subject  qh  soon  ns  the  account  of  those  ruins,  sur- 
veyed by  Captain  Del  Rio  as  early  as  1787,  but  withheld  from  the 
public  eye  by  Spain,  was  published  in  1.822,  in  English. 

This  account,  which  partly  describes  the  ruins  of  a  stone  city  75 
miles  in  circuit,  (length  32  English  miles,  greatest  breadth  It 
miles,)  full  of  palaces,  monuments,  r.tatues  and  inscriptions;  one  of 
the  earliest  seats  of  American  civilization,  about  equal  to  Thebes  of 
Egypt,  was  well  calculated  to  inspire  me  with  hopes  that  they 
would  throw  a  great  light  over  American  history,  when  more  pro- 
perly examined. 

I  have  been  disappointed  in  finding  that  no  (raveller  has  dared  to 
penetrate  again  to  that  recondite  place,  rnd  illustrate  all  the  ruins, 
monuments,  with  tho  langu»ges  yet  spoken  all  around.  The  So- 
ciety of  Geography  has  received  many  additional  accounts,  derived 
from  documents  preserved  in  Mexico;  but  they  have  not  been 
deemed  worthy  of  the  reward  offered  for  a  new  survey,  and  have 
not  even  been  published.  The  same  has  happened  with  Tiahua- 
naco,  in  Eolivia  and  South  America,  another  mass  of  ancient  ruins 
and  mine  of  historical  knowledge,  which  no  late  traveller  has  visit- 
ed or  described. 

Being  therefore  without  hope  of  any  speedy  accession  to  our 
knowledge  of  those  places,  I  have  been  CGmpcUed  to  work  upon 


AND   DItCOVCllICa   Ilf  THK   WCST. 


SOO 


the  com- 
nd  show 
irati,  and 
y  meana 

on  page 

wish  in 

most  in- 


the  material*  nou  extant,  which  have  happily  enabled  me  to  do  a 
great  deal,  notwithstanding  all  their  defects,  and  throw  some  ligjht 
on  that  part  of  the  history  of  America. 

C.  S.  RAFINESQUE. 
Philadelphia,  January,  1832. 


Tabular  View  of  the  American  Generic  Languages  and  Ori' 
ginal    nations,  by  the  same  Jluthor. 

One  of  the  most  glaring  errors  of  spccnlative  philosophers  on  the 
subject  of  America,  is  found  in  their  assertion  that  American  lan- 
guages and  nations  are  multiplied  beyond  conception,  and  cannot 
be  reduced  to  order.  This  misconception  arose  from  a  superficial 
knowledge  of  the  matter,  and  a  wish  to  assert  extraordinary  things. 
If  the  same  wish  had  been  evinced  respecting  Europe,  they  could 
have  found  CO  languages  and  nations  in  France,  and  100  in  Italy, 
by  considering  the  various  provincial  French  and  Italian  Dialects, 
as  so  many  languages,  since  many  of  them  cannot  be  understood 
by  the  respective  provincials  of  the  same  country.  And  each  pro- 
vincial group  would  be  a  nation,  since  languages  distinguish  na- 
tions. 

Even  Balhi,  after  reducing  the  1500  or  1800  supposed  American 
languages  and  tribes  to  422,  has  not  attempted  to  class  them  except 
geographically.  I  made  the  attempt  ever  since  1824  in  the  Cia- 
cinnati  Literary  Gazette,  and  have  since  corrected  my  classifica- 
tion, reducing  the  ISOO  American  Dialects  to  about  25  Generic 
languages,  which  belong  to  the  original  nations  of  America,  many 
of  which  have  yet  as  much  afiinity  as  the  Latin  and  Greek,  or 
English  and  German. 

They  are  the  following,  14  from  North  and  11  from  South  Ame- 
rica. 

1.    Languages  and  Nationp  of  North  America. 

1.  UsKiH,  divided  into  about  30  Dialects  and  tribes;  such  as 
Esquimaux,  McGuts,  Chugach,  Aleutian,5  Chuchi,  &c.  spoken  all 
over  Boreal  America,  from  Bering  strait  and  Alaska  to  Labrador 
and  Greenland. 

2.  Ongux",  about  50  dialects  and  tribes;  Huron,  Onondanga,  Sene- 
ca, Hochelaga,  Tuscorora,  Notoway,  &c.  extending  from  the  Pacific 
ocean  to  Canada  and  Carolina. 


310 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


!i 


! 


3.  LiSNAP,  hicariy  250  dialects  and  tribes ;  such  as  Chinue,  Diii- 
neh,  Algic,  Shawan,  Miami,  Micmac,  Mohegan,  Nantico,  Pow- 
hatan, &c.  extending  from  the  Columbia  river  on  the  Pacific  ocean 
to  Hudson  bay,  New  England  and  Florida. 

4.  Wacash,  about  60  dialects  and  tribes;  Atnah,  Chopunish, 
Coluch,  Chingita,  &c.  spoken  from  Californa  to  latitude  55  in  the 
northwest  coast  of  America. 

5.  Skerem,  above  125  dialects  and  tribes ;  Panis,  Seris,  Pakis, 
Lepan,  Shoshoni,  Opata,  Uchis,  Poyay,  &c.  extending  from  Slave 
lake  to  California,  Texas,  Florida,  and  Honduras. 

6.  Nachez,  nearly  76  dialects  and  tribes;  Cado,  Yatasih,  Wo- 
con,  Cuza,  Cataba,  &c.  extending  from  Sinaloa  in  the  West  to 
Carolina  in  the  East- 

7.  Capaha,  about  50  dialects  and  tribes;  Washasha,  Yatani, 
Oto,  Ochagra,  Dacota,  &c.  extending  from  the  head  of  Missouri 
river  to  the  Wabash  and  Arkanzas  rivers. 

8.  Chactaii,  above  40  dialects  and  tribes ;  Chicasa,  Yazu,  Coroa, 
Humah,  Muskolgih,  Seminole,  &c.  extending  from  Texas  to  Flo- 
rida. 

9.  Otaly,  about  25  dialects  and  tribes ;  Tsuluki  or  Cherokees, 
Tallogha,  Talahuicas,  Talahasi,  &c.  extending  from  the  Alleghany 
mountains  to  the  mountains  of  Mexico. 

10.  Atalan,  about  25  dialects  and  tribes ;  Tala  or  Tarasca,  Ma- 
talan,  Tulan,  Tecas,  Tolban,  Colima,  Tarahumara,  &c.  extending 
from  New  Mexico  to  Michuacan,  and  Nicaragua. 

11.  Otomi,  about  20  dialects  and  tribes;  Miges,  Dotami,  Ma- 
zahuy,  &c.  extending  from  Arkanzas  to  Mexico. 

12.  AzTEC,about  20  dialects  and  tribes;  Tolteca,  Olmeca,  Cora, 
Pipil,  &c.  extending  from  Mexico  to  Nicaragua. 

1-3.  Maya,  about  40  dialects  and  tribes  ;  Huazteca,  Poeonchi^ 
Ouichi,  &c.  extending  from  Texas,  to  Yucatan  and  Guatimaln. 

14.  Chontal,  about  50  dialects  and  tribes ;  Tzendal,  Choles, 
Locas,  Lencas,  Zoques,  Quclen,  Chiapan,  &c.  extending  from 
Chiapa  to  Panama. 

2.  Languages  and  Nations  of  South  America. 

15.  Aruac,  having  nearly  100  dialects  and  tribes;  such  as  Hay- 
tian,  Cuban,  Yucayan,  Eyeri-  Cain,  Arara,  Camana,  Arayas,  Ara- 


inuc,  Din- 
tico,  Pow- 
tcific  oceau 

hopunisb, 

2  55  in  the 

ris,  Pakis, 
from  Slave 

tasih,  Wo- 
e  West  to 

*,  Yatani, 
f  Missouri 

izu,  Coroa, 
sas  to  Flo- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


afitr- 


herokees, 
Alleghany 

rasca,  Ma- 
extending 

ami,  Ma- 

ica,  Cora, 

Poconchi, 
main. 
,  Choles, 
ng   from 


as  Hay- 

AM       A  ■■■» 
as,  rt.ta- 


goas,  &c.  extending  from  the  islands  of  Bahama  and  Cuba,  to  Coro, 
Cumana,  Guyana  and  Brazil. 

16.  Calina,  about  122 dialects  and  tribes;  Carib,  Galibi,  Yaoy, 
Tamanac,  Guarivas,  Gotos,  Chayraas,  Gutacas,  &c.  spread  from  the 
Carib  islands  to  Darien,  Oronoco,  Guyana  and  Brazil. 

17.  PuKis,  about  00  dialects  and  tribes ;  Maypuris,  Achaguas, 
Coropos,  Camacan,  Parexis,  Parias,  &c.  extending  from  Paria  and 
the  Oronoco  to  Brazil  and  Paraguay. 

18.  Yarura,  about  25  dialects  and  tribes;  Betoy,  Ayrico,  Ele* 
Yaros,  Charua,  Ozomaca,  Gauna,  &c.  spread  from  the  river  Oro- 
noco to  the  river  Parana  and  Popayan. 

19.  CuNA,  about  25  dialects  and  tribes;  such  as  Uraba,  Darien, 
Cunacuna,  Choco,  Cocinas,  &Ck  spread  from  Panama  to  Coro  and 
Popayan. 

20.  Mayna,  about  60  dialects  and  tribes ;  Yameos  Amaonos, 
Manoa,  Cauchas,  Panos,  Managua,  Solimos,  Aguanos,  &c.  spread 
from  Popayan  and  Quito  to  the  Maranon  and  Parana. 

21.  Maca,  about  100  dialects  and  tribes;  Muhizca,  Yuncas, 
Zamuca,  Pancha,  Moxos,  Otomacas,  Toa,  Pinoco,  Chaco,  &c. 
spreading  throughout  South  America  from  Cundinamarca  to  Peru 
and  Brazil. 

22.  GuARANi,  nearly  300  dialects  and  tribes ;  Tupi,  Omagua, 
Cocama,  Guayana,  Payagua,  &c.  spread  throughout  Brazil,  and  from 
the  Andes  to  the  Atlantic  sea,  as  far  south  as  Buenos  Ay  res. 

23.  Maran,  about  50  dial^ts  and  tribes ;  Quichua,  Aymaru, 
Muras,  Marahas,  Andoa,  Moratas,  Zapibo,  Cuyaba,  &c.  spread 
from  Peru  in  the  west  to  Brazil  in  the  east  on  both  sides  the  Equa- 
tor. 

24.  LuLE,  about  25  dialects  and  tribes ;  Vilela,  Mocobi,  Abipon, 
Toba,  Atahla,  &c.  spread  through  Chaco,  Tucuman  and  Paraguay. 

25.  Chili,  about  20  dialects  and  tribes ;  Puelche,  Chouos,, 
Araucan,  Tehuelet,  Yacanac,  Kemenet,  &c.  spread  all  over  Austral 
America  from  Chili  to  Magelania  and  Fuego  islands. 

Even  these  25  Languages  and  Original  Nations  may  perhaps  be 
reduced  to  18  by  more  accurate  investigation ;  thus  the  4th  and  5th 
may  become  united  ;  as  well  as  6  and  S,  7  and  11,9  and  10,  as 
they  have  considerable  analogies.     The  same  may  happen  in  South 


3id 


▲MGRICAN  AMtlQUITlEft 


America  with  15,  16  and  19,  also  with  17,  18  and  20,  which  ap- 
proximate by  gradual  dialects. 

C.  S.  RAFINESQUE. 

July  4th,  1829. 

Remark. — The  above  was  published  in  the  Evening  Post ;  it  is 
now  re-printed  because  it  is  the  key  to  American  Ethnology,  Phi- 
lology and  History  !  The  proofs  would  fill  volumes.  It  is  results 
that  analytical  Sciences  chiefly  require.  The  wide  extent  of  Na- 
tions 1,  2,  3, 12,  15,  16,  22,  were  already  acknowledged  :  the  oth- 
ers depend  on  my  researches,  and  are  open  yet  to  many  improve- 
ments, nay,  I  have  effected  some  since  1829. 


I 


The  Atlantic  J^aiions  of  America. 

The  Ocean  separating  Europe  and  Africa  from  America  is  yet 
called  the  Atlantic  ocean,  our  litoral  states  are  called  the  Atlantic 
states.  The  Atlantes  of  North  Africa  who  gave  their  name  to  the 
Atlas  mountains,  and  whose  descendants  exist  there  as  yet  under 
the  names  of  Tuarics,  Berbers,  Shelluh,  Showiah,  &c.  were  one  of 
the  primitive  nations  of  both  continents.  They  came  to  America  soon 
after  the  flood,  if  not  before,  colonised  and  named  the  Gctsn  and 
the  islands  in  it,  as  well  as  America,  which  was  callel  the  Great 
Atlantis,  or  rather  ATALA,  meaning  the  fint  or  main  land. 
This  name  is  preserved  in  Hindu  traditions.  The  Atlantes  were 
not  the  only  primitive  colonists  of  «Araerica;  but  they  were  the 
most  conspicuous  and  civilized.  Their  true  name  was  Atalans. 
They  may  have  been  the  founders  of  Otolum  and  many  other  an- 
cient cities.  Their  descendants  ex'ist  to  this  day  in  America,  un- 
der the  names  of  Talas  or  Tarascas,  Atalalas,  Matalans,  Talegawis, 
Otalis  or  Tsulukis,  Talahuicas,  Chontalas  or  Tsendalas,  &c.  from 
Carolina  to  Guatimaln. 

When  Columbus  discovered  again  America,  he  and  the  earliest 
explorers  were  struck  witlx  the  similarity  between  many  American 
tribes,  and  the  Guanches  of  the  Canary  islands,  remains  of  the 
Oceanic  Atlantes,  in  features,  manners  and  speech.  Whether  the 
Haytians,  Cubans,  and  Aruacs  were  genuine  Atlantes  is  rather 
doubtful,  because  their  language  is  more  akin  to  the  Pelagic  than 

tions  of  America  above  enumerated  may  safely  be  deemed  ehil- 


AND   DISCOV     UES    IN   THE    WEST. 


813 


vhich  ap- 

IQUE. 

ost ;  it  is 
ogy,  Phi- 
is  resulU 
at  of  Na- 
the  oth- 
improve« 


ica  is  yet 
:  Atlantic 
ne  to  the 
^et  uiider 
re  one  of 
;rica  soon 
'ctsn  and 
e  Great 
ain  land. 
ites  were 
vere  the 
Atalans. 
)ther  an> 
rica,  un- 
ilegawis, 
Sec.  from 

!  earliest 
.merican 
18  of  the 
ither  the 
i  rather 
2;ic  than 

inol    T\a_ 
■  uua    «jw— 

;d  chil- 


dren of  the  Atlantes.     They  are  the  ninth  or  Otalis,  the  tenth  or 
Atalaiis,  and  the  fourteenth  or  Chontals. 

This  could  be  proved  iti  many  ways,  and  by  their  languages  com- 
pared with  those  of  thvir  African  brethren,  Tuarics,  Guancbes,  &c. 
•fter  a  separation  of  several  thousand  years.  But  the  proofs  would 
fill  a  volume. 

Our  actual  Cherokis  and  akin  tribes  are  the  children  of  the  first 
branch,  named  Otalis.  This  was  their  original  name.  Adair  only 
160  years  ago  says  that  the  genuine  or  upland  Cherokis  were  cal- 
led Otalis,  which  name  meant  mountaineers  as  in  Africa,  They 
call  themselves  now  Tsulukis.  Our  name  of  Cherokis  is  derived 
from  the  word  Chelakis,  name  of  a  tribe.  They  have  not  the 
sound  of  R  in  their  speech.  Only  one  tribe  substitutes  R  to  L. 
The  interesting  history  of  this  nation  shall  deserve  our  attention 
hereafter.  The  Choutal  branch  or  nation  will  come  under  notice 
in  investigating  the  antiquities  of  Otolum  or  Falenque.  It  remains 
here  to  survey  the  genuine  branch  of  Atalans,  eldest  perhaps  of 
the  American  Atlantes. 

Among  this,  the  best  known  (and  yet  hardly  known)  are  the 
Tarascas  of  Michuacan,  in  West  Mexico ;  the  brave  nation  that 
first  asserted  the  late  Mexican  independence.  Their  true  name  is 
Tala,  and  Tala,  s,  ca,  meaning  Tala  self,  they  or,  in  our  idiom, 
the  veryself  Tala.  They  have  no  r  in  their  speech,  and  this  name 
was  changed  by  the  Othomis  and  Mexicans  into  Tarascas.  See 
grammar  of  their  language  by  Basalenque,  Mexico,  1714. 

From  this  interesting  little  work,  some  other  account  from  Vater, 
and  the  Spanish  writers,  we  learn  something  of  their  language 
which  is  yet  spoken  and  may  be  thoroughly  studied.  We  also 
learn  that  they  formed  a  powerful  and  civilized  kingdom,  indepen- 
dent of  Mexico,  at  the  Spanish  invasion,  which  became  the  ally  of 
the  Spaniards,  but  was  by  them  subdued  by  treachery  and  infa- 
mous conduct.  But  we  learn  very  little  of  their  previous  history: 
and  the  little  known  is  buried  in  untranslated  Spanish  books.  It 
is  by  their  language  that  we  can  hope  to  trace  their  origin  and  most 
remote  history.  Languages  do  not  lie,  says  Home  Tooke.  They 
reveal  what  time  has  buried  in  oblivion. 

We  shall  therefore  give  some  account  of  it,  that  the  learned  or 
eurious  may  study  its  affinities.  So  far  as  wa  have  done  so  alrea- 
dy, we  have  been  struck  with  its  evident  analogy  with  the  Atlan- 

40 


314 


AMERICAN   ANTaUITIES 


tic,  Coptic,  Pelagic,  Oreek,  Latin  and  Italian  languages  of  Africa 
and  Europe,  both  in  words  and  structure,  in  spite  of  a  separation  of 
some  thousand  years. 

This  language  is  rich,  beautiful,  and  highly  coiaplex.  It  amal- 
gamates parti«:les  to  modify  the  words,  as  in  Italian.  The  verb» 
have  fifteen  modifications,  as  in  Italian,  or  nearly  so;  they  can  be 
compounded  as  in  Greek.  It  admits  of  all  the  Greek  rhetorical 
figures.  The  plural  is  formed  by  x.  It  has  nearly  all  the  Euro- 
pean vocal  sounds  except/ and  r ;  also  no  ^n,  and  no  //;  but  it  haf 
three  sibilant  /»,  tz  and  Izh. 

The  analogies  with  the  Italian  are  striking  in  the  foIlowioK 
phrases^  and  some  even  appear  with  the  Saxon  English. 


English. 

Tula. 

Italian. 

1.  Thou 

Thu 

Tu 

S. '  Was  (wast) 

Esca 

Sei  (fosti) 

8.  Thou  who 

Thuqui 

Tuche 

4.  Spoke 

Vandahaca 

Favelasti 

1.  I 

Hi 

lo 

2.  Ws» 

Esca 

Sei  (fui) 

3.  I  who 

Hiquinini 

lo  che 

4.  Loved 

Pamphzahaca 

Amai 

1.  Is  not 

Noxas 

J^on  E 

2.  So  wise 

Mimixcti 

Amico  (savio) 

3.  As  I 

Isqui  hi 

Com'io 

The  following  vocabulary  of  85  words,  gives  a  fair  sample  of  the 
language.  The  affinities  with  the  Pelagic  and  its  children,  Greek, 
Latin,  Etruscan  and  Italian,  are  marked  by  the  letter  P ;  those  with 
the  Atlantic  dialects  of  Africa,  with  the  letter  A.  They  amount  to 
50  out  of  85  with  the  Pelagic,  or  60  per  cent,  of  analogy ;  and  to 
33  out  of  65  with  the  Atlantic,  or  51  per  cent-  These  are  striking 
jGacts,  deserving  attention,  in  spite  of  the  unbelief  of  some  ignorant 
or  lazy  philosophers  or  historians,  who  neglect  or  disbelive  these 
evident  proofs.  The  sixteen  English  affinities  are  marked  by  an 
afterisk.     The  orthography  is,  of  course,  Spanish. 


Snglith 
Wfcter 

Tola.                             Englith. 
Ama,  Ma,  A.  P.        Land* 

Tola. 
Haca,  eche,  andatze^ 

Tvf 

Pa,  vepo,  tani,  A.  P. 

A.  P. 

AND  DISCOVERIES  m  THE   WEST 


315 


English. 

Tala. 

English. 

Tala.                                                ■ 

Stone 

Tzacapu,zampsin,A.P  Thine 

Thuicheveri                                   M 

Cuiri,  A. 

You 

Thucha                                          i 

Men 

Puecha,  P. 

Yours 

Thuchaveri 

Marin,  P. 

We 

Hucha 

Dog 

Vichu,  A. 

Ours 

Huchaveri 

Mountain* 

Vata,  A. 

This 

I,  P. 

Star 

Hosqua 

These 

Ix 

Day 

Vina,  P. 

That 

Inde,  ima 

Night 

Ahchiuri,  tzire 

Mine,  own 

Huchevi 

Heaven* 

Parini,  avandu,  A.  P 

.Be 

E,  A.  P. 

House* 

0,  chao,  P.  A. 

To  be 

Eni,  A.  P. 

Father* 

Tata,  A.  P. 

I  am 

Ehaca,  A.  P. 

Mother 

Nana,  P. 

Is* 

Esti,  A.  P.                                    1 

Hand,  arm 

Cu,  xu,  A. 

Was 

Esca,  A.  P.                                    1 

Foot 

Du,A. 

Place* €arth  Can,  haca,  A.  P.                           ({ 

Head 

Tsi,  P. 

King 

Irecha,  A.  P. 

Mouth* 

Mu,  A.  P. 

Kingdom 

Arikeve,  P. 

Beard 

Hapu,  P. 

Name 

Acan,  guriqua 

End,  tail 

Vara,  P. 

Fish 

Mechoa,  P. 

One 

Mah 

City* 

Fatziza,  P. 

Alone 

Mahco 

Deer 

Taximaroa                                      K 

Ten 

Xam,  P. 

Festival 

Metotes,  P.                                    1 

Much 

Cani,  A. 

To  give 

Inspeni                                          1 

Priest* 

Amberi,  P. 

To  write 

Carani,  P.                                      1 

quinametin 

To  say 

Harani,  P.                                      m 

God 

Tucapacha,  A. 

To  hold 

Uhcama&i                                       |j 

Just 

Casipeti 

To  wash 

Hopo                                              II 

Good 

Ambaqueti 

To  think 

Hangue,  P. 

Wise,  friend  Mimi,  P-  A. 

To  take 

Piran,  P. 

Little 

Caxeti 

To  come 

Hurani,  P.     Tirori 

Tree 

Emba,  ches,  A.  P, 

Food 

Caro,  aqua,  P-  A. 

Bark 

Chucari,  P. 

Drink 

Itsima,  A. 

Leaf 

Zahcuri 

Handsome 

Tzitzis,  A. 

Bread 

Curinda,  A. 

Living 

Tzipeti,  p. 

Colour* 

Chara,  P. 

To  live 

Tzipcni 

Plain    . 

Pe,P. 

Singer 

Pireti,  P. 

Sand 

Cutza 

To  sing 

Pireni 

Peak 

Phurequa,  P, 

Not* 

Noxas,  P.  A. 

3ie 


AMERICAN  AIlTIQUITIEf 


English. 

Tola. 

Englith.           Tala. 

Evil 

Sisraaraqui, 

himboo 

Like,*  as       Isqui,  P. 

Boat 

Xu,  A. 

Love            Pampza,  P 

Self* 

S,  P. 

Speech         Vanda,  P. 

1,  me* 

Hi,  P.  A. 

Who,  whom  Qui,  P. 

Myself 

His,  P.  A. 

The              Ca 

Thou* 

Thu,  P. 

FURTHER  ACCOUNTS  OF  COLONIES  FROM  EUROPE  SETTLED 
".  IN  AMERICA. 

On  the  Zapotecas,  and  other  Tribes  of  the  State  of  Oaxaca. 
By  C.  S.  Rafinesque. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  author  of  the  notice  on  the  Zapote- 
cas cf  Oaxaca,  and  their  temple  of  Mictla,  inserted  iu  the  Septeni- 
ber  No.  of  the  Journal  of  Geology,  has  remained  anonymous :  hav- 
ing stated  some  new  historical  fact:^  he  ought  to  have  given  hi» 
name,  since  he  has  quoted  no  authority.  For  instance  to  what  au- 
thor had  he  access  to  for  the  names  of  the  two  last  kings  of  the 
Zapotecas,  Cosi-foeza  and  Cosi-xopu?  When  did  they  cease  to 
rule,  and  is  there  a  longer  list  of  these  kings  ? 

Some  account  of  thes.e  kings  and  their  deeds,  as  well  as  the  Za- 
poteca  language,  which  is  hardly  known,  would  hare  been  more 
acceptable  to  the  learned,  than  the  notice  on  Mictla,  called  Mitla 
by  Humboldt,  and  already  described  by  him,  with  a  figure.  Even 
the  true  name  of  the  Zapotecas  in  their  own  language  is  unknown, 
that  name  being  merely  a  nickname  given  them  by  their  foes,  the 
Azf '  ;a9  or  Mexicans :  it  means  Appk-people,  Tecas  {peoplt)  and 
Zapo,  or  Zapotlj  a  generic  name  for  apples.  (Tl  added  to  wordi 
answers  In  Azteca  to  our  article  tJie.)  It  is  by  these  nicknames 
that  the  American  tribes  have  been  disfigured  and  swelled  beyond 
truth.  The  first  inquiry  in  their  history  is  to  ascertain  ther  true 
national  name,  which  is  often  no  easy  task. 

Mv  authDrities  for  the  follow  no-  a»'''ou"t  nre,  Herrera's  History 
of  Spanish  America  from  149/  to  1554,  Garcia's  Origen  dclos  In- 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE  WEST. 


317 


dios,  Laet,  Clavigero,  Hunibolut,  Diaz,  Vater,  Siguenza,  Acosta, 
Torquemada,  Touron,  Alcedo,  &c. 

Oaxaca  is  a  fine  province,  (now  state,)  south  of  Veracruz,  and 
loutheast  of  Mexico.  It  was  formed  in  1580  by  the  union  of  the 
two  provinces  of  Zapotecas  and  I  Jztecas,  the  name  being  given  by 
the  city  of  Guaxaca,  formerly  Huacxyacac  and  now  softened  into 
Oaxacn,  capital  of  the  estate  of  Cortez,  who  was  made  Marquis  of 
Guaxaca  in  reward  of  his  conquest  or  rather  invasion  of  Mexico. 

The  MiztecaS  dwelt  between  the  Zapotecas  and  Mexico ;  they 
were  a  fierce  nation,  yet  at  war  with  the  Spaniards  and  Zapotecas 
in  1572,  and  only  subdued  between  1572  and  1580  (Laet).  Their 
name  has  been  spelt  .'so  Mixtecas,  Mictec,  Mixes,  Micos,  Mecos, 
Migeg,  &c.  All  these  names,  leaving  off  tecas  which  means  peo- 
ple, imply  Lion  or  rather  Cuguar,  are  animal  of  the  tiger  genus, 
which  was  the  emblem  or  progenitor  of  the  nation  (3Sz  tiger  genus 
in  Azteca.)  But  the  Mexicans  changed  it  by  contempt  probably 
into  Mc,  Muj  or  Mec,  a  single  word  meaning  4  things  in  Azteca, 
which  are  connected  in  the  language,  1.  North,  2.  Hell,  3.  Devil, 
4.  Apes.  This  is  evidently  the  root  of  Mictla,  tla,  being  the  artic- 
le or  an  abbreviation  of  tlan  a  place. 

It  is  by  this  apparently  trivial  examen  and  etymology  that  I  have 
come  to  the  important  conclusion  that  the  Miztecas  and  Zapotecas 
are  the  modern  remains  of  the  ancient  nations  of  Olmecas  and 
Xicallancas,  mention  in  Mexican  history  as  anterior  to  the  Toltecas 
in  Anahuac ;  and  that  the  Otomis  and  Chichimecas  were  also  con- 
similar  tribes.  Here  it  will  be  needful  to  refer  to  ancient  tradi- 
tions, which  are  not  all  lost.  Although  Zumaraga,  first'bishop  of 
Mexico,  and  extolled  for  his  zeal  by  the  monks,  behaved  in  Mexi- 
•0  as  Omar  had  done  in  Egypt,  by  burning  the  libraries  of  Tez- 
euco,  the  Athens  of  Anahuac,  (those  of  Mexico  itself  had  beea 
lost  in  the  siejje)  he  could  not  destroy  all  the  books  scattered 
through  the  whole  of  Anahuac.  Many  are  yet  extant,  Herrera 
and  Garcias  have  given  some  of  the  traditions  of  the  Zapotecas  and 
Miztecas,  neglected  by  Clavigt-ro  and  Humboldt.  An  English 
Lord  has  lately  published  a  splendid  work  on  some  Mexican  An- 
tiquities and  manuscripts.  The  Library  of  the  Philosophical  So- 
ciety of  Philadelphia,  has  ihe  fac  simile  of  au  Azteca  manuscript 
which  I  have  decyphtred. 


■/ 


""^■•^^ 


318 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


The  Zapotecas  boast  of  being  antidilnvian  in  America,  to  have 
built  the  city  of  Coatlan  (snake  place  in  Azteca)  327  years  before 
the  flood,  and  to  have  escaped  the  dood  with  their  king  Petela 
(Dog)  on  the  mountain  of  Coatlan  (Garcias- )  Which  of  the  two 
floods  of  the  Aztecas  this  was,  whether  that  of  Xelhua  or  of  Cox- 
cox  is  hard  to  say.  The  Petela  or  Dog  dynasty  ruled  over  them 
ever  since  till  the  Spanish  conquest. 

The  Coatlatecas  (snake-people)  or  Cuitlatecas,  the  Cuycatecas, 
(singing-people)  or  Cuiscatecas,  and  t^e  Popaloavas,  are  tribes  of 
Zapotecas,  speaking  dialects  of  the  same  language,  of  which  Cla* 
vigero  says  there  is  a  grammar,  but  Vater  has  not  given  any  words 
of  it.  I  have  been  able  to  collect  only  twelve  words  of  it  out  of  six 
authors. 


God,  or  Creator  of  all  things. 

Ahcabohuil. 

Spirit, 

Vinac. 

House  or  place, 

Baa. 

Ba  in  Mizteca. 

Brother, 

Hun. 

Cuhua           do 

Dog, 

Petela. 

Repose,  or  death, 

Lio,  leo. 

Leob            do 

Heaven, 

Avan 

Andemi        do 

Earth, 

Baca. 

Gnuagnuay  do 

Hell,  or  evil. 

Chevan. 

KuacM        do 

Woman, 

Yxca. 

9 

Eve,  or  first  woman, 

Xtmana. 

Adam,  or  fi'';  man. 

Xchmel. 

Whereby  it  is  seen  that  out  of  six  words  which  I  have  to  com- 
pare in  Mizteca,  four  are  similar,  and  two  not  very  different, 
Therefore  the  just  conclusion  is,  that  the  Mizteca  and  Zapoteca 
are  also  dialects  of  each  other,  or  languages  very  nearly  related. 
The  same  with  the  Zacatecas. 

Of  the  Mizteca  Vater  has  given  many  words ;  he  surmises  that 
it  is  very  near  to  the  Othomiz  or  Otomi :  and  he  considers  several 
Other  languages  of  Anahuac  as  dialects  of  it ;  they  are  the  Zoque, 
Lacandone,  Mame,  Zeltales  or  Celdales,  Chiapaneca,  Mazateca, 
Chochona,  besides  the  Mixe  and  Cuiscateca  already  mentioned. 
This  if  true  would  diminish  the  number  of  languages  of  that  re- 
gion and  extend  the  Mizteca  natio;i  far  to  the   South  and  East  in 


AND   DIflCdVERIBS   iM   tHK    WEST. 


aigf 


lea,  to  have 
rears  before 
pog  Petela 
of  the  two 
I  or  of  Cox- 
over  them 

'uycatecas, 
re  tribeflof 
'hich  Cla- 
any  words 
t  out  of  six 


zteca. 
do 

do 

do 

ly  do 

do 


e  to  com* 
different) 
Zapoteca 
'  related. 

lises  that 
J  several 
'  Zoque, 
azateca, 
ntiooed. 
that  re- 
East  in 


Guatimala,  as  the  Otomi  and  Chichimecas  will  extend  it  far  to  the 
North. 

I  have  a  good  vocabulary  before  me  of  the  Othomiz  language 
by  De  Neve  17'}7,and  although  only  10  words  can  be  found  in  the 
Mizteca  of  Vater,  6  of  them  x..c  alike  or  similar,  which  gives  50 
per  cent,  of  mutual  affinity  and  leaves  little  doubt  of  their  primi- 
tive connection.     These  words  are, 


Othomiz. 

Mizteea. 

Father 

Hta 

Dzutun. 

Land 

Hay 

Gnuagnay 

Nose 

Xinu 

Dztni. 

Son 

Batzi 

Dzaya. 

Bread 

Thume 

Dzite. 

The  Chichimecas  (Dog  devils  or  Northern  Dogs  in  Aztecas)  are 
not  a  nation,  but  this  appellation  was  given  to  all  the  northern  wild 
tribes  and  foes  of  the  Aztecas,  even  to  one  speaking  the  Azteca 
language,  and  lately  to  ma^y  of  the  Apaches,  Skere  or  Pani  tribes 
forming  a  nation  spread  from  Anahuac  to  Oregon  and  Athabasca 
lake,  among  which  the  Shoshonis  of  Oregon  bear  also  the  name  of 
Snake  Indians  as  yet. 

In  result  I  am  led  to  believe  that  the  Miztecas  and  Zapotecas 
were  once  with  the  Otomis  and  many  others,  the  snake  nation  of 
America,  which  did  afterwards  divide  into  the  Dog  and  Cat  tribes 
or  Zapotecas  and  Miztacas.  The  same  has  happened  in  Asia  and 
North  America  where  many  nations  ascribe  their  origin  to  Snake- 
men,  Dog-men  and  Cat-men  or  people. 

The  Olmecas  or  Olmec  or  Hulmecs  of  ancient  Anahuac,  whose 
name  means  Old  Devils  in  Azteca,  are  said  to  have  settled  in  Ana- 
huac after  the  Othomiz,  but  with  their  allies  the  Xicallaneas  or 
Xicayans,  whose  name  we  may  recognise  in  the  Cuycateeas  of 
modern  times,  and  were  probably  the  old  Zapotecas,  the  Southern 
Miztecas  are  yet  called  Xicayans. 

Their  settlement  is  so  ancient  that  it  is  beyond  the  Azteca  and 
even  Tolteca  chronology.  It  happened  after  the  sway  of  Gods, 
Giants  and  Apes  (different  nations.)  They  conquered  hnd  expelled 
the  Giants  or  Titans  of  Anahuac  called  Tuinametin  and  Tzocuit- 
lixeque,  and  took  the  name  of  Tequenes  or  People  of  Tygers. 
Thev  were  divided  into  3  tribes,  Olmecas,  Xiealans  and  Zacatecas 


S20 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIfiS 


speaking  the  same  language  !  (see  Torquemada.)  They  cam* 
from  the  inovvy  mountains,  and  uniled  for  tins  conquest  under  th« 
king  CoxaDutecuhtIi,  building  many  cities  and  ruling  a  long  while 
over  Anahuac. 

Another  tradition  traces  the  origin  of  the  Hulraecaa  to  Hulmecatl^ 
brother  of  Xelhua,  the  Noah  uf  Analiuuc,  andindicates  several  dyua»- 
ties  ruling  successively  their  empire,  1.  Uimec,  2.  Cuchoblam,  3. 
QuetzalcoatI,  the  famous  Legislator  of  ChoUiIa,  4.  Huemac,  and  ends 
by  Colopecthtli  last  king  killed  by  the  Tlascalans  towards  1196  of 
our  era,  who  drove  them  to  the  East  settling  in  their  country.  The 
last  we  hear  of  the  Ulmecas  in  the  Aztec  history  is  in  1457  and  1467 
when  those  of  Cotasta  on  the  sea  shore  were  conquered  by  Montezu- 
ma 1.  While  this  name  disappears  from  history,  that  of  the  Miztecas 
aiid  Zapotecas  appears  in  the  same  place  or  to  the  S.  E.  of  Mexico, 
and  thus  the  evidence  is  complete  that  they  were  the  same  nation 
under  different  names. 

Id  1454  the  Miztecas  won  a  great  battle  over  the  Aztecas  and 
their  allies,  whose  real  sway  in  Anahuac  only  began  towards  1425 
and  hardly  lasted  one  century.  In  1455  Atonaltzin  king  of  Miz- 
tecas although  helped  by  the  Tlascalans  was  taken  and  his  king- 
dom conquered.     This  king  is  elsewhere  called  Yaguitlan. 

The  Miztecas  rebelled  in  1480,  and  in  1486  the  Zapotecas  re- 
sisted the  whole  power  of  Mexico.  But  at  last  became  tributary  ; 
yet  in  1506  and   1507  they  both  vrere  at  war  again  with  Mexico. 

Although  overjoyed  at  the  downfall  of  the  Mexicans,  effected  by 
100,000  Tlascalans  and  allies  among  which  were  some  Miztecas, 
and  900  Spaniards  under  Cortez  :  they  did  not  leadily  submit  to 
the  Spanish  yoke  and  tribute  after  the  fall  of  Mexico  in  1521. 

In  1522  the  Zapotecas  defeated  Sandoval,  and  were  only  con- 
quered in  1526  by  01medo(see  Diaz,)  but  they  have  often  rebelled 
against  the  Spaniards.  In  1572  the  Miztecas  were  at  war  with 
the  Spaniards  and  the  Zapotecas ;  these  Itad  been  conciliated  by 
the  mild  rule  of  their  Lord  Cortez,  who  established  only  a  small 
quit  rent  on  land,  without  any  forced  labor:  this  system  has  made 
Oaxaca  a  flourishing  city  and  province. 

The  Zapotecas  and  Miztecas  are  represented  as  the  handsomest 
Indians  of  Mexico,  nearly  white,  a^d  the  females  are  beautiful,  as 
white  as  the  Spanish  women.  This  also  happens  in  Zacatecas,  a 
province  of  the  former  Olmec?  ^ :  therefore  it  appears  that  this  race 


ANU    DISCOVURItS   IN   THL    WEST 


321 


hej  cam* 
under  th« 
ong  while 

tulmecatl, 

rul  djruai- 

loblain,  3. 

,  aud  cndf 

a  119ti  of 

;ry.     The 

and  1467 

Montezu- 

Miztecaa 

f  Mexico, 

me  nation 

ecas  and 
irds  1425 
;  of  Miz- 
his  king- 
n. 

otecas  re- 
ributary ; 
I  Mexico. 
STected  by 
Vliztecas, 
submit  to 
521. 

Duly  con- 
rebellcd 
var  with 
Hated  by 
'  a  small 
ins  made 

idsomest 

Jtiful,  as 

atecai,  a 
lu:- 

kUJS  IMCO 


IS  distiacl  tVuin  the  A^teca  or  Mexican  nation  iu  features  ad  well  u 
languages:  iiotwithHtanding  that  some  writers  wrongly  assert,  that 
the  Olmecas  spoke  the  same  lauj^uage  as  the  Astecas  and  Toltecas.  ' 
The  Mixes  have  sometimes  long  beards,  aud  resemble  Europeans: 
they  are  a  tribe  of  Miztecay.  Thus  we  find  by  investigation  that 
the  nations  and  languages  of  the  Mexican  states  are  as  easily  re- 
duced to  a  small  number,  as  those  of  the  remainder  of  North  Ame- 
rica. 

The  theogony,  cosmogony  and  religion  of  the  Miztecas  and  Za- 
potecas  was  also  very  different  from  the  Mexicans,  although  they 
had  latterly  adopted  their  bloody  rites  of  the  god  of  evil.  The 
Mixtecas  of  Cuilapo  according  to  a  book  written  by  a  Spanish  monk 
in  the  Miztecas  language  and  figures,  (preserved  by  Garcias)  as- 
cribe their  origin  to  a  god  and  goddess  named  Lion  Snake  and  7V- 
ger  Snake  dwelling  in  Apoala'oi  heavenly  seat  of  Snakes  before  the 
Hood.  They  had  two  sons  (or  nations)  an  eagle  called  Wind  of  9 
Caves,  and  a  Dragon  or  Winged  Snake  called  Wind  of  9  Snakes. 

They  were  driven  from  Apoala  for  their  wickedness  and  perish- 
ed in  a  great  flood.  In  Apoala  we  find  the  Tlapala  or  ancient  seat 
of  the  Mexicans :  which  is  perhaps  the  Apalachi  mountains  of 
North  America,  where  was  once  the  holy  mountain,  temple  and 
cave  of  Olaimi  (see  Brigst(  k)  which  name  recalls  to  mind  the 
Olmecas !  and  all  these  names  answer  in  import  and  sound  to  the 
Olympus  of  the  Greeks. 

The  Zapotecas  had  similar  but  more  definite  ideas.  Ahcabohuil 
was  the  Creator  of  all  things  ;  but  a  divine  man  and  divine  woman 
Xchmel  and  Xlmana  were  the  progenitors  of  mankind  and  of  the 
3  great  gods  Avan  god  of  heaven,  Baca  god  of  earth  and  Clievan 
god  of  hell.  These  3  brothers  are  surprisingly  alike  in  import  and 
names  with  the  Trimurtior  triad  of  the  Hindus,  the  3  manifestations 
of  the  Deity  Vishnu,  Brama,  and  Shiven  !  i         ! ' 

This  same  triad  was  worshipped  in  Chiapa,  Yucatan,  Hayti  and 
many  other  parts  of  America,  under  names  not  very  unlike,  such  as 

Izona,  Vacah  and  Estruah  in  Chiapa. 
Izona,  Bacab  and  Echvah  in  Yucatan. 
Bugia,  Bfddama  aud  Aiba  iu  Hayti- 
lao,  Isnez  and  Suroki  by  the  Apalachians. 
Yah,  Wachil  and  Wacki  by  the  Natchez. 
Q^uoyoh,  Kiw33  and  Ocki  iu  Virginia  and  Florida. 

41 


■J'j'K^^TiWTT^'-     -1^-  - 


ait 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIEI 


Zungua,  Quexuga  and  Haraqui  by  the  Cbicolaa. 

Oarronhia,  Tahuicca  and  Oyaron  by  tbe  Huroua. 

Amane,  Vaca  and  Vochi  by  tbe  Tamaoacs-  , 

Akambue,  Icbein  und  Maboya  by  tbe  Caribs. 

Apu,  Churi  and  Voqui  in  Peru. 

Pillian,  Meulen  and  Wocuba  in  Chili. 

Nemque,  Zuhe  jnd  Bocbica  by  tbe  Muyzcas. 

Ouipanavi,  Avari  and  Caveri  by  the  Maipuiis. 

Aygnan,  Tupan  and  Mabira  in  Brazil,  &c. 

Are  not  these  coincidences  very  surprising  and  interesting  for  the 
history  of  mankind  and  of  their  religions  ?  They  will  appear  still 
more  so  if  we  compare  them  with  tbe  different  triads  of  Asia  and 
other  parts.  Sometimes  the  Asiatic  names  are  more  dissimilar  be- 
tween themselves  than  the  American,  or  else  resemble  still  more 
some  of  them.  A  few  instances  will  be  sufficient  to  prove  this 
stiange  fact.     . 

Asiatic  TViadt.  > 

Briroha,  Vistnow  and  Etcbeves. 

Tama,  Satua  and  Raju. 

Pramih,  Bichen  and  Sumbreh. 

Angeor,  Okar  and  Gun-  * 

Braham,  Narayan  and  Mahesa. 
Brahima,  Baia  and  Mahadeo. 

Brumany,  Ramana  and  Rudra. 

Frimah,  Krishna  and  Iswara. 

The  above  by  the  Hindus  in  different  modem  languages  of  India, 
Decan,  and  Indostan  :  which  are  all  dialects  of  the  Sanscrit. 
Prahma,  Aug  and  Codon  in  Siam  and  Ava. 
Bahman,  Homi  and  Barzoi  of  Iran. 
Babroan,  Manistar  and  Tamistar  of  the  Mahabad. 
Hum,  Fo  and  Kya,  ot  Thibet. 
y,  Hi  and  Vi  of  the  Tao  religion  of  China. 
0,  Mi  and  To  of  the  Fo  religion  of  China. 
Eon,  Hesu  and  Pur  of  the  Phrygians. 
Samen,  Phegor  and  Zebu  of  the  Syrians. 

African    Triads. 
Amon,  Moulb  and  Khous  of  Egypt  and  Thebes. 
Ucharan,  Ahicanac  and  Guayota  of  the  Guanches. 


r  r  *' 


AND    DIICOVERIES    Ilf   THB    WC«T- 


8S8 


European  Triadt. 
Olcus,  Pan  and  Ath  of  the  Cyclopians. 
Prome,  Epime,  and  Mene  of  the  Pelagians. 
Pan,  Eros  and  Methusa,  of  the  Greeks. 
Zeus,  Poseidon  and  Hades  of  the  Greeks. 
Ian,  Aesar,  and  Sancus  of  the  Etrus>cdus. 
Aiu,  Aesar  and  Taut  of  the  Celts. 
Bram,  Amen  and  Vix  of  the  Oceans. 
Kog,  Om  and  Pox  of  the  Eleusinian  mysteries. 
Molk,  Fan  and  Taulas  of  Hibernians. 
Odin,  Vile  and  Ye  of  Scandinavians. 
Peruu,  Morski  and  Nya  of  the  Slavonians. 

Polynesian  Traids. 

Birnma,  Vishnu  and  Uritram  of  Ceylan.  ,. 

Awun,  Injo  and  Nivvo  of  Japan. 

Tane,  Akea  and  Miru  of  Havay. 

Tani,  Uru  and  Taroa  of  Taiti,  &c.  &c. 

The  order  of  these  divine  manifestations  is  of  little  consequence 
and  depends  upon  the  priority  of  those  mostly  worshipped,  whether 
the  God  of  Heaven,  Earth  or  Hell.  The  Hindus  have  now  two 
Sects  worshipping  Vishnu  aud  Shiva,  but  Brama  has  few  worship- 
pers at  present. 

The  names  would  appear  still  more  strikingly  alike  if  they  all 
Boeant  the  same  ;  but  they  often  mean  the  past  present  and  future, 
or  power,  life  and  ah,  or  the  rising  blazing  and  setting  ot  the 
sun  or  some  othor  consimilar  ideas  instead  of  heaven,  earth  and 
hell,  although  they  always  apply  to  the  triple  manifestations  of  the 
Deity  distinguished  and  personified  in  creation,  presrrv?ti<  n  and 
destruction.  This  subject  which  might  be  pursued  much  i  irther, 
may  indicate  a  primitive  conformity  of  religious  ideas  in  mankind 
all  over  the  world.  i^ 

Seventeen  languages  and  dialects  of  Anahuac  or  the  Mexican 
States  are  said  to  have  been  reduced  to  rrramm  um  and  dictionaries 
by  the  Spanish  missionaries ;  Vater  and  the  other  philologists  do 
not  appear  to  have  known  them  ail.  In  order  t<'  draw  thereon  the 
attention  of  those  who  dwell  in  Mexico,  I  shall  attempt  to  enumer- 
ate all  the  Mexican  dialects  under  4  series,  1  well  known,  2  little 
known,  3  hardly  known  and  4  totally  unknown  to  the  learned  and 
historians.     It  will  be  obvious  that  the  2  latter  series  require  chiefly 


■m. 


S8i 


't 


AMERICAN    AM'IUIJITIES 


the  attention  of  those  who  may  have  the  oppoilnnify  to  (ravrl  or 
dwell  ill  Mexico. 

1st  Series.  Languages  or  dialects  well  known  of  which  we  have 
ample  vocabularies  and  grammars  known  to  the  learned — 1.  Azte- 
ca  or  true  Mexican.    2.  Otomi.    3.  Mizleca.    4.  Maya.    5.  Cora. 

6.  Totonaca.     7.  Pima.     8.  Poconchi 

2d  Series.  Little  known  to  the  learned  at  least,  but  well  known 
in  Mexic  as  there  are  grammars  &c.  of  them.  1.  Tarasca.  2- 
Hnasteca     3.  Yaqui.      4.  Popoluca.     o.   Matlaziuca.     6.  Mixc- 

7.  Kiclie.  8.  Chachiquel.  9.  Tarahumara.  10.  Tepehuanan, 
&c.  Of  these  I  have  procured  already  ample  vocabularies  of  the 
two  first. 

3d  Series.  Hardly  known,  of  whicli  wc  possess  as  yet  but  few 
words.  1.  Zapotecas.  2.  Zacatecas.  3.  Choi.  4.  Chontal.  5. 
Pininda.     6.  Opata.     7.  Endeve.     8.   Quelene,  &c. 

4th  Series.  Quite  unknown  for  lack  of  materials,  although  th^'v 
are  yet  spoken  languages,  and  some  ore  but  dialects  of  those  above. 
1.  Utlateca.  2.  Cohuichi.  3.  TIahuichi.  4.  Zoqiie.  5.  Manie 
6.  Chiapaneca.  7.  Chochona.  8.  Mazivteca,  9.  Cuiscateca. 
10.  Popaloava.  11.  Tubar.  12.  Yumas.  13.  Seres.  14.  Moba, 
&c.  Besides  many  dialects  of  California,  Texas  and  New  Mexico. 
Although  they  may  be  mere  dialects  it  is  noeriful  and  desirable 
to  have  materials  on  each,  so  as  to  reduce  this  to  a  certainty  and  to 
trace  their  mutual  analogies  or  deviations,  as  well  as  the  probable 
time  of  the  separation  of  the  tribe.*:. 

These  40  Mexican  dialects  will  thus  be  reduced  very  probably 
to  5  or  6  primitive  larguagep,  as  those  of  the  United  States  have 
already  been  reduced  to  seven,  the  Onpuv,  Lcnih,  Shactah,  O'alv, 
Capaha,  Skere,  and  Nachez,  by  myself  in  the  manuscript  history 
of  the  American  nations.  And  in  the  whole  of  North  and  South 
America  hardly  25  oria;in;»l  longuii-jcs  and  nations  are  met  with,  al- 
though nctnally  divided  in  1.500  tribes  and  dialects;  a«;  the  actu.il 
European  languages,  only  G  in  number  (iri,<TirinlIy,  are  now  divided 
into  600  dialects,  some  of  whicii  are  even  deemed  pertiliar  lan- 
guages at  present. 

Thus  these  original  or  mother  languages  of  Europe  are  the  Pe- 
lagian, Celtic,  Canfcahrian,  TiMitonic  or  Cubic,  Tliracian  or  Sla- 
vonian, and  Finnish.  And  out  of  the  Gothic  have  .'prung  the 
English,  Dutch)  Herman,  Danish,  Swedisli,  kc.  which  were  once 


J'-' 


•  W'-'  ' ' 


travel 


or 


l»  we  have 
-1.  Azte- 
5.  Cora. 

'ell  known 
irasca.  2- 
fi-  Mixo. 
peliuanan, 
lies  of  the 

t  but  (tiw 
lontal.    5, 

ougli  they 
ose  above. 
5.  Manie. 

uisoateca. 

4.  Moba, 
w  Mexico. 
1  desirable 
nly  and  to 

probable 

probably 
fates  have 
>b,  Ojalv, 
it  history 
nd  Soii(h 
with,  p1- 
he  artiiiil 
•  divided 
liar  lati- 

the  Pe- 

or  Sla- 
wiig  IhB 
're  once 


't 


■■■^ 


AND    DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


.r 


im 


mere  dialects,  but  are  now  become  languages  having  many  dittlectci 
of  their  own. 


.t'V 


.Uv.,, 


■  I  ■ 


'  ?'"  '    Primitive  Origin  of  the  English  Language.     '    i" 
'     '  '       By  C.  S.  IIafinesqur.  ' 

The  best  work  on  the  philosophy  and  affinities  of  the  English 
language  is  at  present,  the  Introduction  by  Noah  Webster,  to  his 
great  Dictionary.  Yet  although  he  has  taken  enlarged  views  of 
the  subject,  and  by  far  surpassed  every  predecessor,  he  has  left 
much  to  do  to  those  future  philologists  and  philosophers  who  may 
be  inclined  to  pursue  the  subject  still  further :  :)ot  having  traced 
the  English  language  to  its  primitive  sources,  nor  through  all  its 
variations  and  anomalies. 

But  no  very  speedy  addition  to  this  knowledge  is  likely  to  be 
produced,  since  Mr.  Webster  has  stated  in  a  letter  inserted  in  the 
Genesee  Farmer  of  March  1832.  (written  to  vindicate  some  of  his 
improvements  in  Orthography)  that  no  one  has  been  found  in 
America  nor  England  able  to  review  his  introduction !  although 
many  have  been  applied  to !  But  I  was  not  one  of  those ;  few 
knowing  of  my  immense  researches  in  languages,  I  was  not  con- 
sulted, else  I  could  have  done  ample  justice  to  the  subject  and  Mr. 
Webster. 

It  is  not  now  a  review  of  his  labors  that  I  undertake,  but  merely 
an  inquiry  into  the  primitive  origin  of  our  language,  extracted  from 
my  manuscript  philosophy  of  the  English,  French  and  Italian  lan- 
guages compared  with  all  the  other  languages  or  dialects  of  the 
whole    rorld,  not  less  than  3000  in  number. 

The  modem  English  has  really  only  one  immediate  parent. 
The  Old  English,  s-wh  as  it  was  spoken  and  \\  i  itten  in  England 
between  the  years  1000  and  l.'SOO,  lasting  about  five  hundred  years, 
Avhich  is  the  usual  duration  of  fluctuating  languages.  Our  actual 
English  is  a  natural  deviation  or  dialect  of  it,  begun  between  li75 
and  1525,  and  gradually  improved  and  polished  under  two  difle- 
rent  forms,  the  written  English  and  the  spoken  English,  which  are 
as  different  from  each  other  as  the  English  from  the  French.  These 
two  forms  have  received  great  accession  by  the  increase  of  know- 
ledge, and  borrowing  from  many  akin  languages  words  unknown 
to  the  old  Engli.sh.     They  are  both  subject  yet  to  fluctuations  of 


■  ■"•■l^- 


826 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


orthography  and  pronunciation,  which  gradually  modify  tbem  again. 

The  old  English  existed  probably  also  under  these  two  forms, 
and  had  several  contemporaneous  dialects,  as  the  modern  English, 
of  which  the  Yorkshire  and  Scotch  dialects  are  most  striking  in 
Europe,  while  the  Guyana,  Creole  and  West-India  Creole,  are  the 
most  remarkable  in  America.  Another  dialect,  filled  with  Bengali 
and  Hindostani  words  is  also  forming  in  the  East-Indies. 

A  completf;  comparison  of  the  old  and  modern  English  has  not 
yet  been  given.  A  few  striking  examples  will  here  be  inserted  tfl 
a  specimen  of  disparity. 


Written. 
Old  English. 

Written. 
Modern  English. 

Spoken. 
Modetn  English. 

Londe 

Lande 

Land 

Sttrre 

Star 

Star 

Erthe 

Earth 

Erth 

Tie 

litlnud 

Ailend 

See 

Sea 

Si 

Benethen 

Beneath 

Binith 

'  Hewyn 

Heaven 

Hev'u 

Hedde 

Head 

Hed 

As  late  as  the  year  1555,  we  find  the  English  language  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  actual,  at  least  in  orthogrHphy ;    for  instance, 


Eng  ofXfthb. 

Writ.  Mod.  Eng. 

Spok.  Mod.  Eng 

Preste 

Priest 

Prist 

Euyll 

Evil 

Ivl 

Youe 

You 

Yu 

Fyer 

Fire 

Fayer 

Howse 

House 

Hans 

This  old  English  is  supposed  to  have  sprung  from  the  amalga- 
mation of  three  languagt-s.  1.  British-Cellic  2.  Anglo-Saxon 
and  Norman-French,  between  the  years  1000  and  1200.  This  has 
been  well  proved  by  many,  and  I  take  it  for  granted. 

But  the  successive  parents  and  the  genealogies  of  the  Celtic, 
Saxon  and  Norman,  are  not  so  well  understood.  Yet  through  their 
successivf;  and  gradual  dialects  springing  from  each  other,  are  to 
be  traced  the  anomalies  and  affinities  of  all  the  modern  languages 
of  Western  Europe, 


■:*- 


V*J-.'— --i*r- 


AND   blSCOTEttlES   IX   THB   WEIT. 


327 


i/ 


By  this  investigation  it  is  found  that  these  three  parents  of  the 
English,  instead  of  being  remote  and  distinct  languages,  were  them- 
selves brothers,  sprung  from  a  common  primitive  source,  having 
undergone  jQiuctuations  and  changes  every  500  or  1000  years.  For 
instance,  the  Latin  of  the  time  of  Romulus  v\ras  quite  a  difierent 
language  from  that  spoken  in  the  time  of  Augustus,  although  this 
was  the  child  of  the  former,  this  of  the  Ausoniau,  &c. 

The  following  table  will  illustrate  this  fact,  and  the  subsequent 
remarks  prove  it. 

I.  Old  English  sprung  partly  from  the  British  Celtic. 

2d  Step.  British  Celtic  of  Great  Britain  sprung  from  the  Celtic 
of  West  Europe. 

3d  Step.  This  Celtic  from  the  Cumric  or  Kimran  of  Europe. 
,  4th  Step.  The  Cumric  from  the  Goraerian  of  Western  Asia. 

5th  Step.  The  Gomerian  from  the  Yavana  of  Central  Asia. 

6th  Step.  The  Yavana  was  a  dialect  of  the  Sanscrit. 

II  Source.  The  Old  English  partly  sprung  from  the  Anglo-Saion 
of  Britain. 

2d  Step.  The  Anglo*Saxon  sprung  from  Saxon  or  Saeacenas  of 
C  -  many. 

tiid  Step.  The  Saxon  from  the  Teutonic  or  Gothic  of  Europe. 

4th  Step.  The  Teutonic  from  the  Getic  of  East  Europe. 

5th  Step.  The  Getic  from  the  Tiras  or  Tharaca  of  West  Asia. 
(Thracians  of  the  Greeks.) 

6th  Step.  The  Tiras  from  the  Cutic  or  Saca  of  Central  Asia, 
called  Scythian  by  the  Greeks. 

7th  Step.  The  Saca  was  a  branch  of  the  Sanscrit. 

III  Source.  Old  English  partly  sprung  from  the  Norman  French. 
2d  Step.  The  Norman  French  was  sprung  from  the  Romanic  of 

France. 

3d  Step.  The  Romanic  from  the  Celtic,  Teutonic  and  Roman 
Latin. 

4th  Step.  Roman  Latin  from  the  Latin  of  Romulus. 

6th  Step.  The  Latin  frota  the  Ausonlan  of  Italy. 

6th  Step.  The  Ausonian  from  the  Pelagic  of  Greece  and  West 
Akia. 

7th  Step.  The  Pelagic  from  the  Palangsha  or  Pali  of  Central 
Asia. 

8th  Step.  The  Pali  was  a  branch  of  the  Sanicrit. 


■% 


■■:?*■• 


\'W! 


338 


AMlCftlCAN  ANflQUITIfig 


Thus  we  see  all  these  sources  of  the  English  language  concen-' 
trating  by  gradual  steps  into  the  Sanscrit,  one  of  the  oldest  lan- 
guages of  Central  Asia,  which  has  spread  its  branches  all  over  the 
globs.  Being  the  original  language  of  that  race  of  men,  fathers  of 
the  Hindus,  Persians,  Europeans  and  Polynesians. 

All  the  affinities  between  English  and  Sanscrit,  are  direct  and 
striking,  notwithstanding  many  deviations,  and  lapse  of  ages- 
While  those  between  the  English  and  other  primitive  languages, 
such  as  Chinese,  Mongol,  Arabic,  Hebrew,  Coptic,  Berber,  &c., 
are  much  less  in  number  and  importance ;  being  probably  derived- 
from  the  natural  primitive  analogy  of  those  languages  with  the  San- 
scrit itself,  when  all  the  languages  in  Asia  were  intimately  con- 
nected. 

Many  authors  have  studiv;d  and  unfolded  the  English  analogies 
with  many  languages  ;  but  few  if  any  have  ever  stated  their  nu- 
merical amount  Unless  this  is  done  we  can  never  ascertain  the 
relative  amount  of  mutual  affinities.  It  would  be  a  very  laborious 
and  tedious  task  to  count  those  enumerated  in  Webster's  Dictiona- 
ry. My  numerical  rule  affords  a  very  easy  mode  to  calculate  this 
amount  without  much  trouble. 

Thus  to  find  the  amount  of  affinities  between  English  and  Latin, 
let  us  take  ten  important  words  at  random  in  each. 
fVrtt.  Eng. 
Woman 
ttWater 
+Earth 
fGod 
ttSoul 
One 
tlHouse 
fMoon 
Star 
tjGood 

We  thereby  find  three  affinities  in  ten,  or  30  per  cent,  as  many 
analogies  or  semi-affinities,  marked  tj  equal  to  15  per  cent,  more, 
and  four  words,  or  40  per  cent.,  have  no  affinities.  This  will  pro- 
bably be  found  a  fair  average  of  the  mutual  rate  in  the  old  English, 
but  the  modern  has  received  so  many  Latin  synonyms  as  to  exceed 
perhaps  this  rate. 


Spok.  Eng. 

Latin. 

Vumehn 

Femina 

Vuater 

Aqua 

Erth 

Terra 

God 

Deus 

Sol 

Anima 

Uuhn 

Unuro 

Haus 

Domus 

Muhn 

Luna 

Star 

Aster 

Gud 

Bonus 

■■!    /■. 


JIND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


329 


Of  these  analogies  it  is  remarkable  that  most  are  not  direct  from 
the  Latin,  or  even  through  the  French ;  but  are  of  Saxon  origin, 
vv'ui.h  had  them  with  t'/e  Latin  previously. 

Thus  the  affinities  between  the  English  and  Greek  or  Russian, 
are  derived  through  the  Pelagic  and  Thracian,  unless  lately 
adopted. 

Boxhorn  and  Lipsius  first  noticed  the  great  affinities  of  words  and 
grammar  between  the  Persian  and  German  dialects.  Twenty-five 
German  writers  have  written  on  this.  But  Weston,  in  a  very  rare 
work  printed  at  Calcutta  in  1816,  on  the  conformity  of  the  English 
and  European  languages  with  the  Persian,  hcs  much  enlarged  the 
subject,  and  has  given  as  many  as  480  consimilar  words  between 
Persian  and  Latin,  Greek,  English,  Gothic  and  Celtic :  but  he  has 
not  stated  the  numerical  amount  of  these  affinities.  All  this  is  not 
surprising  since  the  Iranians  or  Persians  were  also  a  branch  of  Hin- 
dus, and  this  language  a  child  of  the  Zend,  a  dialect  of  the  San- 
scrit. Hammer  has  found  as  many  as  560  affinities  between  Ger- 
man and  Persian. 

But  the  late  work  of  Colonel  Kennedy,  *^  Researches  on  the  Origin 
and  Affinity  of  the  principal  Languages  of  Asia  and  Europe^^  Lon- 
don, 1828,  4to.,  is  the  most  important,  as  directly  concerning  this 
investigation;  notwithstanding  that  he  has  ventured  on  several 
gratuitous  assertions,  and  has  many  omissions  of  consequence. 

Kennedy  states  that  the  Sanscrit  hat  2500  verbal  roots,  but  only 
6G6  have  distinct  meaning!;;  while  each  admitting  of  25  suffixes^ 
they  form  60,000  words,  and  as  they  ai3  susceptible  of  9.58  incre- 
ments, as  many  as  1,395,000  words  may  be  said  to  exist  in  this 
wonderful  language. 

Yet  out  of  these  2500  roots,  as  many  as  900  are  found  by  Kenne- 
dy in  the  Persian  and  European  languages,  although  the  Greek  ha^ 
only  2200  roots  and  the  Latin  2400.     Of  these  UOO  affinities 

339  are  found  in  the  Greek 

819  in  Latin 

265  in  Persian 

262  in  German 

251  in  English 

627  in  Greek  or  Latin 

181  in  both  German  and  English 


31  in  &11  the  fivs  Issguages. 


48 


,* 


8S0 


AMERICAir  ANTiatflTIEl 


This  is  something  positive  and  numerical ;  but  unfortunately  not 
definite,  and  partly  erroneous,  as  wilt  be  proved  presently  for  the 
English.  Kennedy  denied  linities  between  the  Celtic  and  San- 
scrit ;  but  the  very  words  he  has  offered  as  examples,  (only  100,) 
offer  many  evident  affiuitief .  His  opinion  that  the  Hindus  and 
Egyptians  came  from  the  Babylonians  is  very  improbable.  It  was 
from  the  high  table  land  of  Central  Asia  that  ^U  the  old  nations 
came. 

The  251  English  affinities  may  be  seen  in  Kennedy,  as  well  as 
the  339  Latin,  which  are  mostly  found  now  also  in  English  through 
the  words  derived  from  the  Latin.  These  two  united  would  be 
590  or  more  already  than'  the  566  separate  meanings  of  the  San- 
scrit roots.  But  Kennedy  has  by  no  means  es^hausted  the  Sanscrit 
etymologies  of  the  English.  Although  I  have  no  English  Sanscrit 
dictionary  at  hand,  yet  I  have  many  Sanscrit  vocabularies,  where 
I  find  many  words  omitted  by  Kennedy.  And  what  is  not  found 
in  the  Sanscrit  itself,  is  found  in  its  eastern  children  the  modern 
languages  of  Hindostan. 

Among  my  vocabularies,  the  most  important  is  one  made  by  my- 
self of  the  principal  words  of  the  old  Sanscrit,  met  with  and  ex- 
plained in  the  laws  of  Menu  translated  by  Jones.  In  these  old  and 
often  and  obsolete  words  are  found  the  most  striking  affinities  of 
which  I  here  give  the  greater  part. 


ETigliih 

Old  Santerit 

Wtitten. 

Spoken. 

of  Menu. 

Mother 

Mother 

Mara 

Mind 

Maind 

Men 

Mankind 

Mehnkaind 

Manavah 

Era 

Ira 

Antajra 

Hour 

Hauer 

Hora 

Virtuous 

Vsrtius 

Verta 

Antique 

Antic 

Arti 

Beetle 

Bitl 

Blatta 

Penny 

Peni 

Pana 

Gas 

Gas 

Akasa 

Father 

Father 

Vasus 

Play 

Pie 

Waya 

Malice  (sin) 

Malis 

Mala 

Patriarch 

Patriark 

Patri 

■■"^m''^- 


Jwately  hot 

f  tly  for  the 
' and  San- 
only  100,) 

|indus  and 
It  was 

pld  nationi 

as  well  a$ 
ih  through 
would  be 
the  San- 
e  Sanscrit 
^  Sanscrit 
es,  where 
not  found 
e  modern 

de  by  my- 
h  and  ex- 
se  old  and 
fflnities  of 


AND   DISCOVBRIKI  IN  THK  WEST. 


131 


^/ 


Engluh 

^  ■  .;«■    ■'■ 

Old  Hanterit 

Written. 

Spoken. 

«fMenu... 

Middle 

Midi 

Medbya 

Teacher 

Ticher 

Acharya 

Bos  (master) 

Bos 

Bbos 

Before 

Bifor 

Purva 

Wind  , 

Vuind 

P    ana 

Deity 

Deiti 

Daitya 

Mouth 

Mauth 

Muc'ha 

Eyes 

Aiz 

Esbas 

Right 

Rait 

Rita 

Phantom 

iTantom 

Yantasa 

Wood 

Vud 

Venu 

Me,  mine 

Mi,  maibn 

Man 

Animate 

Animet    . 

Mabat 

Spirit 

Spirit 

Eshetra 

•  '■J  > 


'  {,7, 


Being  twenty-eight  derivated  words  out  of  eighty-four  of  this  old 
vocabulary,  S3  per  cent. 

Another  very  sinfpilar  vocabulary  I  have  extracted  from  the 
Transactions  of  the  Literary  Society  of  Bombay,  and  Erskine's  ac- 
count of  the  Ancient  Mahabad  Religion  of  Balk  from  the  book  De- 
satir.  Some  words  are  given  there  of  the  language  of  the  Maha- 
bad empire,  the  primitive  Iran,  which  appears  to  be  a  vrry  early 
dialect  of  the  Sanscrit  and  Zend.  Out  of  tliirty  words  tw(  Ive  have 
analogies  to  the  English,  equal  to  40  per  cent. 


English 

Mahabad 

Written. 

Spoken. 

of  Iran. 

Father 

Father 

Fiter 

End 

End 

Antan 

Course 

Kors 

Kur  (time) 

Nigh 

Nay 

Unim 

Amical 

Amikal 

Mitr  (friend) 

Globe 

rilcb 

Gul 

Middle 

Midi 

Mad 

Sky 

Skay 

Kas 

Royal 

Royil 

Raka  (king) 

Ignate 

Ignet 

Agai  (fire) 

Man 

Mehn 

Minhush 

Donation 

Donejuiohn 

Drttisor 

383 


AMERICAN   AMTtqUITIEf 


"I 


S^«5^V 


I  could  add  here  at  least  250  to  the  251  of  Kennedy,  if  it  were 
not  too  tedious  and  long.  But  I  can  safely  vouch  that  all  the  56S 
radical  roots  of  peculiar  meaning,  forming  the  base  of  the  Sanscrit, 
are  to  be  found  in  the  English  roots,  or  if  a  few  are  lacking  it  is 
merely  owing  to  some  having  become  obsolete  through  the  lapse  of 
nearly  5000  years,  when  the  Yavanas,  Sacas  and  PuUis  separated 
from  their  Hindu  brethren,  and  the  revolution  of  sis  or  seven  suc- 
cessive dialects  formed  by  each,  till  they  met  again  in  the  English- 
Kennedy  has  even  some  obsolete  English  and  Scotch  words,  now 
out  of  use,  which  are  derived  from  the  Sanscrit. 

This  inquiry  is  not  merely  useful  to  unfold  the  origin  and  revo- 
lutions of  our  language  ;  but  it  applies  more  or  less  to  all  the  lan- 
guages of  Europe  ;  which  were  formed  iu  a  similar  way  by  dialects 
of  former  languages.  Since  every  dialect  becomes  a  language 
whenever  it  is  widely  spread  and  cultivated  by  a  polished  nation. 
Thus  the  French,  Italian,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Romanic  and  Vala- 
quian  are  now  become  languages,  with  new  dialects  of  their  own, 
although  they  are  in  fact  mere  di'^iects  of  the  Latin  and  Celtic. 

The  physical  conformation  and  features  of  all  the  European  and 
Hindu  nations  are  well  known  to  agree,  and  naturalists  consider 
them  as  a  common  race.  The  historical  traditions  of  these  nations 
confirm  the  philological  and  physical  evidence.  All  the  European 
nations  came  from  the  east  or  the  west  of  the  Imaus  table  land  of 
Asia,  the  seat  of  the  ancient  Hindu  empires  of  Balk,  Cashmir  and 
Iran.  The  order  of  time  in  which  the  Asiatic  nations  entered  Eu- 
rope to  colonize  it  was  as  follows: 

1.  or  most  ancient.  Esquas  or  Oscans  or  Iberians  or  Cantabriana- 

2.  Gsmarians  or  Cumras  or  Celts  or  liacis. 

5.  Getea  or  Goths  or  Scutam  or  Scythians. 
4.  Finns  or  Laps  or  Sames. 

6.  Tiros  or  Thracians  or  llhjrians  or  Slaves. 
6.  Pallis  or  Pelasgians  or  Hellenes  or  Greeks. 

The  settlement  in  Europe  of  these  last  is  so  remote  as  to  be  in- 
Tolved  in  obscurity.  But  their  geographical  positions,  traditions 
and  languages  prove  their  relative  antiquity.  The  Greek  language 
is  one  of  those  that  has  been  most  permanent,  having  lasted  2500 
years,  from  Homer's  time  to  the  Turkish  conquest  Yet  it  sprung 
from  the  Pelagic  and  has  given  birth  to  the  Romaic  or  modern 
Grf  ek  dialects^ 


AKD   DIlCOVBRIfit  IN   THE   WEIT. 


333 


I    ■ 


COLONIES  OF  THE  DANES  IN  AMERICA. 


■'■    V,' 


fiut  besides  the  evidences  that  the  Malay,  Australasian  and  Poly 
nesian  tribes  of  the  Pacific  islands,  have,  in  remote  ages,  peopled 
America,  fron;  the  west ;  coming,  first  of  all,  from  the  Asiatic  shores 
of  that  ocean  ;  and  also  from  the  east,  peopling  the  island  Atalantis, 
(equally  early,  as  we  believe,)  once  situated  between  America  and 
Europe,  and  from  this  to  the  continent ;  yet  there  is  another  class 
of  antiquities,  or  race  of  population,  which,  says  Dr.  Mitchell,  dc" 
serves  particularly  to  be  noticed.  '*  These  are  the  emigrants  from 
Lapland,  Norway,  and  Finland }"  the  remotest  latitude  north  of 
Europe,  "  who,  before  the  tenth  century,  settled  thems  Ives  in 
Greenland,  and  passed  over  to  Labrador.  It  is  recorded  that  these 
adveuturers  settled  themselves  in  a  country  which  they  called  Viu- 
land.". 

Our  learned  regent.  Gov.  De  Witt  Clinton,  says  Dr.  Mitchell, 
who  has  outdone  Governeur  Golden,  by  writing  the  most  full  and 
able  history  of  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  of  New- York,  men- 
tioned to  me  his  belief  that  a  part  of  the  old  forts  and  other  antiqui- 
ties at  Onondaga,  about  Auburn,  and  the  adjacent  country,  were  of 
Danish  character. 

"  I  was  at  once  penetrated  by  the  justice  of  bis  remark  ;  an  ad- 
ditional window  of  light  was  suddenly  opened  to  my  view  on  this 
subject.  I  perceived  at  once,  with  the  Rev.  Van  Troil,  that  the 
European  emigrants  had  passed,  during  the  horrible  commotions  of 
the  ninth  and  tenth  century,  to  Iceland.     See  History  of  England. 

The  Rev.  Mi.  Crantz  had  informed  me,  in  his  important  book, 
how  they  went  to  Greenland.  I  thought  I  could  trace  the  people 
of  Scandinavia  to  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  I  supposed  my 
friends  had  seen  the  Punic  inscriptions  made  by  them  here  and 
there,  in  the  places  where  they  visited.  Madoc,  prince  of  Wales, 
and  his  Cambrian  followers,  appeared,  to  my  recollection,  among 
these  bands  of  adventurers.  And  thus  the  northern  lands  of  North 
America  were  visited  by  the  hyperborean  tribes  from  the  north- 
westermost   climates  of  Europe ;    and  the  northwestern  climes  of 


834 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


North  America  had  received  inhabitaDts  of  the  same  race  from  the 
northeastern  regions  of  Asia. 

The  Danes,  Fins,  or  Germans,  and  Welchmen,  performing  their 
migrations  gradually  to  the  southwest,  seem  to  have  penetrated  to 
the  county  situated  to  the  south  of  Lake  Ontario,"  which  would 
he  in  the  states  of  New-Yuik  and  Pennsylvania,  "  and  to  have 
fortified  themselves  there ;  where  the  Tartars,  or  Samoieds,  travel- 
ling, by  slow  degrees,  from  Ahska,  ou  the  Pacific,  to  the  southeast, 
finally  found  them. 

In  their  courts,  these  Asian  colonists  probably  exterminated  the 
Malays,  who  had  penatrated  along  the  Ohio  and  its  streams,  or  drove 
them  to  caverns  abunding  in  saltpetre  and  copperas,  in  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee ;  where  their  bodies,  accompauied  with  cloths  and 
ornaments  of  their  peculiar  manufacture,  have  been  repeatedly  dis- 
interred and  examined  by  the  members  of  the  American  Antiqua- 
rian Society. 

Having  achieved  this  conquest,  the  Tartars  and  their  descend- 
ants, had,  probably,  a  much  harder  task  to  perform.  This  was  to 
subdue  the  more  ferocious  and  warlike  European  colonists,  who  had 
intrenched  and  fortified  themselves  in  the  country,  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Tartars,  or  Indians,  as  they  are  now  called,  in  the  par- 
ticular parts  they  had  settled  themselves  in,  along  the  regiou  of  the 
Atlantic. 

In  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  are  the  remains,  or  outlines,  of  a 
town,  including  more  than  five  hundred  acres.  It  appeared  pro- 
tected by  three  circular  or  elliptical  forts,  eight  miles  distant  from 
each  other  ;  placed  in  such  relative  positions  as  to  form  a  triangle 
round  about  the  town,  ut  those  distances. 

It  is  thought,  from  ap|)earances,  that  this  strong  hold  was  stormed 
and  taken,  on  the  line  of  the  north  side.  In  Camillus,  in  the  same 
county,  are  the  remains  of  two  forts,  one  covering  about  three  acres, 
on  a  very  high  hill ;  it  had  gateways,  one  opening  to  the  east,  and 
the  other  to  the  west,  toward  a  spring  some  rods  from  the  works  ; 
its  shape  is  elliptical ;  it  has  a  wall,  in  some  places  ten  feet  high, 
with  a  deep  ditch.  Not  far  from  this  is  another  exactly  like  it,  on- 
ly half  as  large.  There  are  many  of  thess  ancient  works  here- 
abouts ;  one  in  Scipio,  two  near  Auburn,  three  near  Canandaigua, 
and  several  betwetin  the  Seneca  and  Cayuga  Lakes.     A  number  of 


Al^D  DISCOVtRIEB   lit  itili   WEST. 


33S 


6uch  fortifications,  and  burial  places,  have  also  been  discovered  ia 
Ridgeway,  or  the  southern  3iiore  of  Lake  Ontario. 

There  is  evidence  enough  that  long  and  bloody  wars  were  waged 
among  the  inhabitants,  in  which  the  Scandinavians,  or  Esquimaux, 
as  they  are  now  called,  seem  to  have  been  overpowered  and  de- 
stroyed in  New-Fork.  The  survivors  of  the  deleat  and  ruin  re- 
treated to  Labrador," — a  country  lying  between  Hudson's  Bay  and 
the  Atlantic ;  in  latitude  60  and  60  degrees  north,  where  they  have 
remained  secure  from  further  pursuit. 

From  the  known  ferocity  of  the  ancient  Scandinavians,  who, 
with  other  Europeans  of  ancient  times,  we  suppose  to  be  the  au- 
thors of  the  vast  works  about  the  region  of  Onondaga,  dreadful 
wars,  with  infinite  butcheries,  must  have  crimsoned  every  hill  and 
dale  of  this  now  happy  country. 

In  corroboration  of  this  opinion,  we  give  the  following,  which  1» 
an  extract  from  remarks  made  on  the  ancient  customs  of  the  Scan- 
dinavians, by  Adam  Clarke,  in  a  volume  entitled  "  Clarke's  Dis- 
covery," page  145. 

1st.  Odin,  or  Woden,  their  supreme  god,  is  there  termed  "  The 
terrible  or  severe  deit^ ;  the  father  of  slaughter,  who  carries  deso- 
lation and  fire  ;  the  tumultuous  and  roaring  deity  ;  the  giver  of 
courage  and  victory ;  he  who  marks  out  who  shall  perish  in  battle ; 
the  shedder  of  the  blood  of  man.  From  him  is  the  fourth  day  of 
our  week  denominated  Wodensday,  or  Wednesday. 

2d.  Frigga,  or  Frega :  She  was  his  consort,  called  also,  Ferorthe, 
mother  Earth.  She  was  the  goddess  of  love  and  debauchery — the 
northern  Venus.  She  was  also  a  warrior,  and  divided  the  souls  of 
the  slain  with  her  husband,  Odin.  From  her  we  have  our  Friday, 
or  Freya's  day ;  as  on  that  day  she  was  peculiarly  worshipped ;  as 
was  Odin  on  Wednesday. 

3d.  Thor,  the  god  of  winds  and  tempests,  thunder  and  lightening* 
He  was  th«  especial  object  of  worship  in  Norway,  Iceland,  and  con- 
sequently in  the  Zetland  isles.  From  him  we  have  the  name  of 
our  fifth  day,  Thor's  day  or  Thursday.  > 

4th.  Tri,  the  god  who  protects  houses.  His  day  of  worship  was 
called  Tyrsday,  or  Tiiseday,  whence  our  Tuesday.  As  to  our  first 
and  second  day,  Sunday  and  Monday,  they  derived  their  names 
from  the  Sun  and  the  ifoon,  to  whose  worship  ancient  idolaters  had 
consecrated  them." 


386 


lUCRICiN   ANTIQUITIEI 


From  this  we  learn  that  they  had  a  knotvledge  of  a  small  cycle 
of  time,  called  a  week  of  seven  days,  and  must  have  been  derived, 
in  aovait  way,  from  the  ancient  Hebrew  Scriptures,  as  here  we  have 
the  first  intimation  of  this  division  of  time.  But  among  the  Mexi- 
cans no  trait  of  a  cycle  of  seven  d<iys  is  found,  says  Humboldt  ; 
which  we  consider  an  additional  evidence  tliat  the  tirst  people  who 
found  their  way  to  these  regions,  called  North  and  South  America, 
le^t  Asia  at  a  period  anterior  at  least  to  the  time  of  Moses ;  which 
was  full  sixte(*n  hundred  years  before  Christ.  _  -   . 

But  we  continue  the  quotation.  All  who  die  in  battle,  go  to 
Vallpalla,  Odin's  palace  ;  where  they  amuse  themselves  by  going 
through  their  martial  exercises  ;  then  cutting  each  other  to  pieces  ; 
afterwards  all  the  parts  healing,  they  sit  down  to  their  feasts,  where 
they  quail'  beer  out  of  the  skulls  of  those  whom  they  had  slain  in 
battle,  and  whose  blood  they  had  before  drank  out  of  the  same 
skulls,  when  they  had  slain  them. 

The  Scandinavians  oiiered  diAerent  kin>. .  <  f  sacriAces,  but  espe- 
cially human;  and  from  these  they  drew  their  auguries,  bj  the  ve- 
locity with  which  the  blood  flowed,  when  they  cut  their  throats, 
and  from  the  appearance  of  the  intestines,  an()  especially  the  heart. 
It  was  a  custom  in  Denmark,  to  offer  annually,  in  January,  a  sacri- 
fice of  ninety-nine  cocks,  ninety-nine  dogs,  ninety-nine  horses,  and 
ninety-nine  men ;  besides  other  human  sacrifices,"  on  various  oc* 
casions. 

Such  being  the  fact,  it  is  fairly  presumable  that  as  the  Danes, 
Scandinavians,  and  Lapponiac  nations,  found  their  way  from  the 
north  of  Europe  to  Iceland,  Greenland,  and  Labrador ;  and  from 
thence  about  the  regions  of  the  western  lakes,  especially  Ontario ; 
that  the  terrific  worship  of  the  Celtic  gods,  has  been  practised  in 
America,  at  least  in  the  State  of  New-York.  And  it  is  not  impos- 
sible but  this  custom  may  have  pervaded  the  whole  continent,  for 
the  name  of  one  of  these  very  gods,  namely,  Odiny  is  found  among 
the  South  Americans,  and  the  tops  of  the  pyramids^  may  have  been 
the  Altars  of  sacrifice. 

*?  We  have  already  fixed  the  attention  of  the  reader,"  says  Ba- 
ron Humboldt,"  on  Votan,  or  Wodan,  an  American,  whc  seems  to 
be  a  member  of  the  same  family  with  the  Woads,  or  Odins,  of  the 
Ooths,  and  nations  of  the  Celtic  origin." 


H 


AND  DISCOVERIES  Ilf  THE   WEgT 


wnt 


The  Mme  names,  he  siyi,  ire  celebrated  in  India,  Scandinavia, 
and  Mexico,  all  of  which  is,  by  traditiou,  believed  to  poiiK  to  none 
other  than  to  Noah  and  hi»  sous.  For,  according  to  the  tradition* 
of  the  Mexicans,  as  collected  by  the  Bishop  Francis  Nuuez  de  la 
Vega,  their  Wodan  was  graiid^n  to  that  illuairious  old  man,  who, 
•t  the  time  of  the  great  deluge,  was  saved  on  a  raft  with  bis  family. 
He  was  also  at  the  building  of  the  great  edifice,  and  co-operated 
tvith  the  builder,  which  had  been  undertaken  bv  men  to  reach  the 
skies.  The  execution  of  this  rash  project  was  interrupted  ;  each 
family  receiving  from  that  time  a  different  language;  when  the 
Great  Spirit,  or  Teatl^  ordered  Wodan  to  go  and  people  the  country 
of  Anahuac,  which  is  in  America. 

"Think  (says  Dr.  Mitchell)  what  a  memorable  spot  is  oar  On- 
andaga,  where  men  of  the  Malay  race,  from  the  south-west,  and  oi 
the  Tartar  blood  from  the  north-west,  and  of  the  Gothic  stock  from 
the  north-east,  have  successively  contended  for  the  8uprema<jy  and 
rale,  and  which  may  be  considered  as  having  been  poss.^seu  by 
each  long  enough  before"  Columbus  was  bom,  or  the  navigating  of 
the  western  ocean  thought  of. 

"  John  De  Let,  a  Flemish  writer,  sa^s  that  Madoc,  i  -  of  the 
sons  of  Prince  Owen  Gynnith,  being  disgusted  with  th  civ.!  wars 
which  broke  out  between  his  brothers,  after  the  death  of  their  far 
ther,  fitted  out  several  vessels,  and  having  provided  them  with  eve- 
ry thing  necessary  fo:  a  long  voyage,  went  in  quest  of  new  lands  to 
the  loestvoard  of  Ireland.  There  he  discovered  very  fertile  coun- 
tries," where  he  settled  ;  and  it  is  very  probable  Onondaga,  and 
the  country  along  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  around  Lakes  Ontario  and 
Erie,  were  the  regions  of  their  improvements. — Carver^  p.  108. 

«  We  learn  from  the  historian  Charievoix,  that  the  Eries,  an  in- 
digenous nation  of  the  Malay  race,  who  formerly  inhabited  the 
lands  south  of  Lake  Erie,  where  the  v  •  ;;f.  i  district  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  state  of  Ohio  »ow  are.  And  Lewis  Evens,  a  former 
resident  of  the  city  of  New-York,  has  shown  us  in  his  ttlap  of  the 
Middle  Colonies,  that  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Iroquois  extended 
over  that  very  region.  The  Iroquois  were  of  the  Tartar  stock,  and 
they  converted  the  country  of  the  exterminated  Eries  or  Malays^ 
into  a  range  for  the  wild  beasts  of  the  west,  and  a  region  for  their 
own  hunters." 

.43 


388 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


He  says  the  Scandinavians  emigrated  about  the  tenth  century  of 
the  Christian  era,  if  not  earlier ;  and  that  they  may  be  considered  as- 
not  only  having  discovered  this  continent,  but  to  have  explored  it» 
northern  climes  to  a  great  Atent,  and  also  to  have  peopled  them. 

In  the  fourteenth  township,  fourth  range  of  the  Holland  Compa- 
ny's lands  in  the  state  of  New- York,  near  the  Ridge  road  leading 
from  Buffalo  to  Niagara  Falls,  is  an  ancient  fort,  situated  in  a  large 
swamp  ;  it  covers  about  five  acres  of  ground  ;  large  trees  are  stand- 
ing upon  it-  The  earth  which  forn:s  this  fort  was  evidently  brought 
from  a  distance,  as  that  the  soil  of  the  marsh  is  quite  of  another 
kind,  wet  and  miry,  while  the  site  of  the  fort  is  dry  gravel  and 
loam.  The  site  of  this  fortification  is  singular,  unless  we  suppose 
it  to  have  been  a  last  resort  or  hiding  place  from  an  enemy. 

The  distance  to  the  margin  of  the  marsh  is  about  half  a  mile^ 
where  large  quantities  of  human  bones  have  been  found,  on  open- 
ing the  earth,  of  an  extraordinary  size :  the  thigh  bones  about  two 
inches  longer  than  a  common  sized  man's  :  the  jaw  or  chin  bone 
will  cover  a  large  man's  face :  the  skull  bones  are  of  an  enormous 
thickness:  the  breast  and  hip  bones  are  also  very  large.  On  being 
exposed  to  the  air  they  soon  moulder  away,,  which  denotes  the 
great  length  of  time  since  their  interment-  The  disorderly  manner 
in  which  these  bones  were  found  to  lie,  being  crosswise,  commixed 
and  mingled  with  every  trait  of  confusion,  show  them  to  have  been 
deposited  by  a  conquering  enemy,  and  not  by  friends,  who  would 
have  laid  them,  as  the  custom  of  all  nations  always  has  been,  in  a 
more  deferential  mode. 

There  was  no  appearance  of  a  bullet  having  been  the  instrument 
of  their  destruction,  the  evidence  of  which  would  have  been  bro- 
ken limbs-  Smaller  works  of  the  same  kind  abound  in  the  coimtry 
about  Lake  Ontario,  but  the  one  of  which  we  have  just  spoken  is 
the  most  remarkable-  This  work,  it  is  likely,  was  a  last  effort  of 
the  Scandinavians- 

No.lh  q(  the  mountain,  or  great  slope  toward  the  lake,  there  are 
no  remains  of  ancient  works  or  tumuli,  which  strongly  argues,  that 
the  mountain  or  ridgeway  once  was  the  southern  boundary  or  shore 
gf  lake  Ontario :  The  waters  having  receded  from  three  to  seven 
miles  from  its  ancient  shore,  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  lake, 
occasioned  b^  some  strange  couvulsion  in  nature,  redeeming  muck 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


339 


ituiy  of 
Jlered  as 
[ored  i(» 
|them>    - 

I  leading 

a  large 

'  stand- 

)rought 

lanoth^r 

i^el  and 

suppose 

a  mile^ 
»  open- 
)ut  two 
n  bone   i 

ormous 

1  being 

•tes  the 

manner 

1  mixed 

e  been 

would 

D;  in  a 

uraent 
I  bro- 
•untry 
cen  ift 
brtof 

B  are 
that 
hore 
;veu 
ike, 
ucU 


<rf  the  lands  of  the  west  from  the  water  that  had  covered  it  from  the 
time  of  the  deluge.  > 

The  following  is  the  opinion  of  Morse,  the  gei^pher,  on  the 
curious  subject  of  the  original  inhabitants  or  population  of  America. 
He  says,  "  without  detailing  the  numerous  opinions  of  philosophers, 
respecting  the  original  population  of  this  continent,  he  will,  in  few 
words,  state  the  result  of  his  own  inquiries  on  the  subject,  and  the 
facts  from  which  the  result  is  deduced. 

"  The  Greehlanders  and  Esquimaux,"  which  are  one  in  origin, 
"  were  emigrants  from  the  north-west  of  Europe,"  which  is  Nor- 
way and  Lapland.  A  colony  of  Norwegians  was  planted  in  Ice- 
land, in  874,  which  is  almost  a  thousand  years  ago.  Greenland, 
which  is  separated  from  the  American  coutiuent  only  by  Davis' 
Strait,  which,  in  several  places,  is  of  no  great  width,  was  settled  by 
Eric  Rufus,  a  young  Norwegian,  in  982 ;  and  before  the  11th  cen- 
tury, churches  were  founded  and  a  bishopric  erected,  at  Grade,  the 
capital  of  the  settlement.      • 

Soon  after  this,  Bairn,  an  Icelaodic  navigator,  by  accident,  dis- 
covered land  to  the  west  of  Greenland.  This  land  received  the 
name  of  Vineland.  It  was  settled  by  a  colony  of  Norvregians  in 
1002,  and  from  the  description  given  of  its  situation  and  produc- 
tions, must  have  been  Labrador,  which  is  on  the  American  conti- 
nent, or  Newfoundland,  which  is  but  a  little  way  from  the  conti- 
nent, separated  by  the  narrow  strait  of  Bellisle,  at  the  north  end  of 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  a  river  of  Canada.  Vineland  was  west 
of  Greenland,  and  not  very  far  to  the  south  of  it.  It  also  produced 
grape  vines  spontaneously.  Mr.  Elis,  in  bis  voyage  to  Hudson's 
Bay,  informs  us  that  the  vine  grows  spontaneously  at  Labrador,  and 
compares  the  fruit  of  it  to  the  currants  of  the  Levant. 

Several  missionaries  of  the  Muravions,  prompted  by  a  ?eal  for 
propagating  Christianity,  settled  in  Greenland;  from  whom  we 
learn  that  the  Esquimaux  perfectly  resemble  the  natives  of  the  two 
countries,  and  have  intercourse  with  one  another ;  that  a  few  sail- 
ors, who  had  acquired  the  knowledge  of  a  few  Greenland  words, 
reported,  that  these  were  understood  by  the  Esquimaux ;  that  at 
length  a  Moravian  milsionary,  well  acquainted  with  the  language 
of  Greenland,  having  visited  the  country  of  the  Esquimaux,  found 
to  his  astonishment  that  they  spoke  the  same  language  with  the 
Greenlanders ;"  which  of  course  was  the  same  with  the  language 


340 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


of  Iceland,  and  also  of  Norway,  which  is  in  Europe,  lying  along  on 
the  coast  of^^  Atlantic;  as  that  the  first  colony  of  Iceland  was 
from  Norwa;^ud  from  Iceland  a  first  colony  settled  on  Greenland, 
from  thence  to  Labrador,  which  is  the  continent ;  showing  that  the 
language  of  the  Esquimaux  is  that  of  the  ancient  Norse,  of  Europe, 
derived  from  the  more  ancient  Celtic  nations,  who  were  derived 
from  the  descendants  of  Japheth,  the  son  of  Noah ;  from  which  we 
perceive  that  both  from  country  and  lineal  descent,  the  present  in- 
habitants are  brothers  to  the  Esquimaux  (Indians,  as  they  are  im- 
properly called)  who  also  are  white,  and  not  copper  colored,  like 
the  red  men,  or  common  Indians,  who  are  of  the  Tartar  stockc 

The  missionary  found,  "that  there  was  abundant  evidence  of 
their  bein^  of  the  same  race,  and  he  was  accordingly  received  and 
entertained  by  them  as  a  friend  and  brother"  These  facts  prove 
the  settlement  ?f  Greenland  by  an  I'lelandic  colony,  and  the  con- 
sanguinity of  the  Greenlanders  and  Esquimaux. 

Iceland  is  only  about  one  thousand  *miles  west  from  Norway,  in 
Europe,  with  mure  than  twenty  -isiands  between  ;  so  that  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  this  history  to  render  it  improbable  that 
the  early  navigators  from  Norway  may  have  easily  fq,und  Iceland, 
and  cofenized  it. 

"  The  enterprize,  skill  in  navigation,  even  without  the  com'pass, 
and  roving  habits,  possessed  by  these  early  navigators,  renders  it 
highly  probable  also,  that  at  some  period  more  remote  than  the  10th 
century,  they  had  pursued  the  same  route  to  Greenland,  and  plant- 
ed colonies  there,  which  is  but  six  hundred  miles  west  of  Iceland. 
Their  descei^uants,  the  present  Greenlanders  and  Esquimaux,  re- 
taining somewhat  of  the  enterprize  of  their  ancestors,  have  always 
preserved  a  communication  with  each  other,  by  crossing  and  re- 
crossing  Davis's  Strait.  The  distance  of  ocean  between  America 
and  Europe  on  the  east,  or  America  and  China  on  the  west,  is  no 
objection  to  the  passage  of  navigators,  either  ^rom  design  or  stress 
of  weather;  as  that  Coxe,  in  his  Russian  Discoveries,  mentions 
that  several  Kamsohadale  vessels,  in  1745,  were  driven  out  to  sea, 
and  forced,  by  stress  of  weather,  to  take  shelter  among  the  Aleutian 
islands,  in  the  Pacific,  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles ;  and 
also  Captain  Cook,  in  one  of  his  voyages,  found  some  natives  of  one 
of  the  islands  of  the  same  ocean,  in  their  war  canoes,  six  hundred 
miles  from  the  land  of  their  country." — Morse, 


"?W 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  VTEST. 


341 


Id  the  year  1780,  captain  Bligh  was  sent  out  under  the  direction 
of  the  government  ol  England,  to  the  Friendly  Islands,  in  the  Fa- 
eific,  in  quest  of  the  bread  fruit  pknt,  >vith  the  view  of  planting  it 
in  the  West  Indies. 

But  having  got  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  his  crew  mutinied, 
and  put  hira,  with  eighteen  of  his  men,  on  board  a  boat  of  but 
thirty-two  feet  in  length,  with  an  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bread, 
twenty-eight  gallons  of  water,  twenty  pounds  of  pork,  three  bottles 
of  wine,  fifteen  quarts  rum.  With  this  scanty  provision  he  was 
turned  adrift,  in  the  open  sea,  when  the  vessel  sailed,  and  left  them 
to  their  fate.  Captain  Bligh  then  sailed  for  the  island  of  Tofoa, 
but  being  resisted  by  the  islanders  with  stones,  and  threatened  with 
death,  was  compelled  to  steer  from  mere  recollection  (for  he  was 
acquainted  with  those  parts  of  that  ocean)  for  a  port  in  the  East 
ludias,  called  Tima,  belonging  to  the  Dutch.  He  had  been  with  the 
noted  Captain  Cook,  in  his  ^yages.  The  reason  the  natives  were 
so  bold  as  to  pelt  them  with  stones  as  they  attempted  to  land,  was 
because  they  perceived  them  to  be  without  arms.  This  voyage, 
howejrer,  thty  performed  in  forty-six  days,  suffering  in  a  most  in- 
credible manner,  a  distance  of  four  thousand  milea^  losing  but  one 
man,  who  was  killed  by  the  stones  of  the  savages,  in  attempting  to 
get  clear  from  the  shore  of  an  island,  where  they  had  landed  to 
look  for  water. 

"  In  1797,  the  slaves  of  a  ship  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  having 
risen  on  the  crew,  twelve  of  the  latter  leapt  into  a  boat,  and  made 
their  escape.  On  the  thirty-eighth  day,  three  still  survived,  and 
drifted  ashore  at  Barbadoes,  in  the  West  Indies.  In  1799,  six  men 
in  a  boat  from  St.  Helena,  lost  their  course,  and  nearly  a  month  af- 
ter, five  of  them  surviving,  reached  the  coast  of  South  America,  a 
distance  of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  miles." — Tho- 
mat^s  7>atJ«/»,  page  28-3. 

This  author,  Mr.  David  Thomas,  whose  work  was  published  at 
Auburn,  1819,  is  of  the  opinion,  that  "  the  Mexicans  and  Peruvi- 
ans derived  their  origin,  by  arriving  in  wrecks  from  the  sea  coast 
without  the  Strait  of  Gibralter,  soon  after  the  commencement  of 
navigation,  driven  thither  by  the  current,  and  trade  winds." 

But  as  to  the  Peruvians^  being  originally  from  about  the  Medite- 
ranian,  we  should  suppose  rather  improbible,  as  that  Peru  is  situa- 


342 


AMERICAN    ANTIQUITIES 


ted  on.  the  Pacihc  in  South  America  and  Mexico  ou  the  Pacific 
in  North  America. 

It  would  have  been  more  natural  for  them  to  have  fixed  their 
abode  where  they  first  landed,  rather  than  to  have  traveled  across 
the  continent.  The  Peruvians  were  doubtless  from  China  origi- 
nally, and  the  Mexicans  from  a  more  northern  region,  Mongol,  Tar- 
tary  and  the  Jappan  Islands. 

He  says,  "  if  we  consider  in  what  an  early  age  navigation  was 
practised,  and  consequently  how  soon  after  that  era  America  would 
receive  inhabitants  within  its  torrid  zone,  it  will  appear  probable 
that  the  Mexicans  were  a  great  nation  before  either  the  Tartars  or 
Esquimaux  arrived  on  the  northern  part  of  this  continent," 

Navigation  was  indeed  commenced  at  an  early  age,  by  the  Egyp- 
tians and  Phoenicians,  probably  more  than  sixteen  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  Christ,  (See  Morse's  Chronology,)  and  doubt- 
less, from  time  to  time,  as  in  later  agesr,  arrivals,  either  from  design, 
or  from  being  driven  to  sea  by  storm,  took  place,  so  that  Egyptians, 
FhiEnicians,  and  individuals  of  otlier  nations  of  that  age,  unques- 
tionably found  their  way  to  South  America,  and  also  to  the  ^uth- 
ern  parts  of  North  America  from  the  east,  and  also  from  the  west 
across  the  Pacific  in  shipping. 

But  we  entertain  the  opinion,  that  even  sooner  than  this,  the 
woodsof  the  Americas,  had  received  inhabitants,  as  we  have  before 
endeavoured  to  argue  in  this  work,  at  &  time  when  there  was 
more  land,  either  in  the  form  of  islands  in  groups,  or  in  bodies,  ap- 
proaching to  that  of  continents,  situated  both  in  the  Pacific  and  At- 
lantic Oceans ;  but  especially  that  of  Atalantis,  once  in  the  Atlantic, 
between  America  and  the  coast  of  Gibralter. 

In  the  reroaks  of  Carver  on  this  subject,  through  the  interior  parts 
of  north-western  America,  we  have  the  following.  "  Many  of  the 
ancients  are  supposed  to  have  known  that  this  quarter  of  the  globe, 
not  only  existed,  hnt  also  that  it  was  inhabited." 

"  Plato,  who  wrote  about  five  hundred  years  before  Christ,  in  his 
book  entitled  "Timeaus,"  has  asserted,  that  beyond  the  island 
^liich  he  calls  Atalantis,"  as  learned  from  the  Egyptian  Priest,  and 
which  according  to  his  description,  was  situated  in  the  western 
Ocean,  opposite,  as  we  have  before  said,  to  the  Strait  of  Gibralter, 
"  there  were  a  great  number  of  other  islands,  and  behind  those  a 
vast  contient." 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


343 


Pacific 


tf  some  have  affected  to  treat  the  tradition  of  the  existence  of 
this  island  as  a  chimera,  we  would  ask,  how  should  the  Priest  be 
nble  to  teli  us  that  behind  that  island,  farther  west,  was  a  vast  con- 
tinent, which  proves  to  be  true,  for  that  continent  is  America ;  or 
rather  as  a  continent  is  spoken  of  by  Plato  at  all,  lying  west  of  Eu- 
rope, we  are  ©f  the  opinion,*  that  this  fact  should  carry  conviction, 
that  the  island  also  existed,  as  well  as  the  continent ;  and  why  not 
Atalantis,  if  Plato  knev  nf  the  one,  did  he  not  of  the  other  ?        >  - 

If  the  Egyptian  Priests  had  told  Plato,  that  anciently  there  exist- 
ed a  certain  island,  with  a  continent  on  the  west  of  it,  and  the  Strait 
of  Gibralter  on  the  east  of  it,  and  it  was  found,  in  succeeding  ages, 
that  neither  the  straits  nor  the  continent  were  ever  known  to  exist, 
it  would  be,  indeed,  clearly  inferred,  that  neither  was  the  island 
known  to  them.  But  as  the  Straits  do  exist,  and  the  western  con- 
tinent also,  is  it  very  absurd  to  suppose,  that  Atalantis  was  indeed 
situated  between  these  two  facts,  or  parts  of  the  earth  now  known 
to  all  the  world  ^ 

Carver  says  that  Ovideo,  a  celebrated  Spanish  Author,  the  same 
who  became  the  friend  of  Columbus,  whom  he  accompanied  on  his 
second  voyage  to  the  New  World,  has  made  no  scruple  to  affirm, 
that  the  Antilles  are  the  famous  Hesperides,  so  often  mentioned  by 
the  poets,  which  are  at  length  restored  to  the  Kings  of  Spain,  the 
descendants  of  King  Hesperus,  who  lived  upwards  of  three  thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  from  whom  these  islands  received  their  name." 
De  Laet,  a  Flemish  writer,  says,  "  it  is  related  by  Pliny,"  (the 
Elder,  one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  ancient  Roman  writers,  who 
was  born  twenty-three  years  after  the  time  of  Christ,  and  left  be- 
hind him  no  less  thain  37  volumes  on  natural  history) — and  some 
other  writers—"  that  on  many  of  the  islands  near  tw.  western  coast 
of  Africa,  particularly  on  the  Canaries,  some  ancient  edifices  were 
seen  ;"  even  called  ancient  by  Pliny,  a  term  which  would  throw 
the  time  of  their  erection  back  to  a  period,  perhapw>  five  or  six  hun- 
dred years  befoi>i  Christ- 

"  From  this  it  is  highly  probable,  says  Mr.  Carver,  that  the  in- 
habitants, having  deserted  those  edifices,  even  in  the  time  of  Pliny, 
may  have  passed  over  to  b^uth  America,  the  passage  being  neither 
long  nor  difficult.  This  migration,  accord'  ;  to  the  calculation  of 
those  autiiors,  must  have  taken  plnc^  more  than  two  hundred  yei'.- 
before  the  Christian  era ;  at  a  time  when  the  people  of  Spain  were 


3U 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Buch  troubled  by  the  Carthageniaiis,  and  might  have  retired  to  the 
Antilles,  by  tht  «vay  of  the  VVt^stcru  Isles,  which  were  exactly  half 
way  in  their  voyage,"  to  South  America. 

Emanuel  de  Morez,  a  Portuguese,  in  his  histojy  of  Brazil,  a  pro- 
vince of  South  America,  asserts  that  America  hu?  b^en  whol'y  peo- 
pled by  the  Cnri'jegenians  and  laraeliles.  Ho  brings,  bj  a  pu^of  w 
this  assertion,  i**e  discoveries  the  former  are  knonv^  (o  ha;<^  made 
at  a  gre'ii.  distance  beyond  the  western  coast  >f  Aincn.  The  i.M- 
ther  progress  of  ^vhich  being  put  a  s!?  p  to,  hi  the  S«:MRt^  u;  Cm- 
thage,  some  hundred  years  bitiue  Chi'^t,  tho.»N'  ^vho  happened' to 
be  then  in  the  newiy  discove.i  1  couQtri'Di.%  being  cut  off*  from  ail 
communications  vnth.  iheir  cour'r:rymen,  and  destitMte  of  many  ne- 
cessaries of  life,  fel!  into  a  state  of  bs  ';arinir.. 

Gearge  De  Horn,  a  karned  Datchm-in,  who  Jibs  wriflen  oa  the 
8y|>j?rtt  of  «he  first  peopling  of  Ame;'?.a,  nawntR'"jis  thi*'  li?e  finjl 
UM^adera  oi  the  colonics  of  this  country,  were  Scythitns,  who  were 
nQiicb  S"  vre  lanciyr.t  than  the  Tartars,  bat  were  derived  from  the 
Scy^hi'vis  :  a*  the  lerui  Tartar,  is  but  of  recent  date,  when  com- 
parted -vitii  the  far  more  ancient  appellattou  of  Scythian^  the  de- 
Bcendants  of  Sliem.  the  great  progenitor  of  the  Jews. 

He  also  believes  that  the  Pheceuicians  erd  Carthflgenians,  after- 
wards, got  footing  in  America,  by  crossing  ihe  Atlantic,  and  like- 
wise the  Chinese,  by  way  of  the  Pacific.  These  Phoenician  and 
Carthageni&n  migrations,  he  supposes  to  have  been  before  the  time 
of  Solomon,  king  of  Israel,  who  flourished  a  thousand  years  before 
Christ. 

Mr.  Thomtw,  of  Auburn,  in  his  volume,  entitled  "  Travels  thorugh 
the  western  country,"  has  devoted  some  twehty  pages  to  the  sub« 
ject  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  with  ability  evidencing 
an  enlarged  degree  of  acquaintance  with  it— he  says,  explicitly,  on 
page  288,  that  '•''  the  Phoeoecians  were  early  acquainted  with  those 
shores;"  "believes  that  vessels,  sailing  out  of  the  Mediteraneai, 
may  have  been  wrecked  on  the  American  shores;  also  colouies 
from  the  west  of  Europe,  and  from  Africa,  in  the  same  way.  Sup- 
poses that  Egyptians  and  Syrians  settled  in  Mexico ;  the  former 
the  authors  of  the  pyramids  of  South  America,  ^nd  that  the  Syriana 
are  the  same  with  the  Jews ;  wanting  nothinv  complete  this  fact 
but  the  rite  of  circumcision ;    says  the  GreiL     vsre  the  only,  or 


k'SD   DISCOVERIES    IN   THL    WCSt. 


34d 


cd  to  the 
ictly  half 

•  pro- 
l'"»l'y  peo- 

made 

The  i*i> 

»ii'  Ciir  ■ 

opened  to 

from  all 

»any  ne- 


&ni  people^  who  practised  raising  tumuli  arouud  the  unu  which 
contained  the  ashes  of  their  heroes." 

And,  as  we  know,  tumuli  are  in  abundance  in  the  west,  raised 
over  the  ashes,  rs  we  suppose,  of  their  heroes ;  should  we  not  in- 
fer that  the  practice  was  borrowed  from  that  people  ?  This  would 
prove  some  of  them,  at  least,  originally  from  about  the  Mediterra- 
nean- 

But  notwithstanding  our  agreement  with  this  writer  that  many 
nations,  as  the  Greeks,  the  Egyptians,  the  Syrians,  the  Phoenicians, 
Garthagenians,  Europeans,  Romans,  Asiatics,  Scythians  and  Tar- 
tars, have,  in  different  eras  of  time,  contributed  to  the  peopling  of 
America ;  yet  we  believe,  with  the  great  and  celebrated  naturalist, 
Dr.  Mitchell,  that  the  ancestors  of  the  people  known  by  the  appel- 
lation of  the  Malays,  now  peopling  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  were 
nearly  among  the  first  who  set  foot  on  tlie  coasts  of  America.  And 
that  the  people  who  settled  on  the  islands  of  the  Atlantic,  and  es- 
pecially that  of  Atalantis,  now  no  more,  immediately  after  the  dis- 
persion, were  they  who,  first  of  all,  and  the  Malay  second,  filled 
all  America  with  their  descendants  in  the  first  ages. 

But  in  process  of  time,  as  the  arts  came  on,  navigation,  with  or 
without  the  compass,  was  practised,  if  not  as  systematically  as  at 
the  present  time,  yet  with  nearly  as  wide  a  range  ;  and  as  convul- 
sions in  the  earth,  such  as  divided  one  part  of  it  from  another,  as  in 
the  days  of  Peleg,  removing  islands,  changing  the  shape  of  conti- 
nents, and  separating  the  inhabitants  of  distant  places  from  each 
other,  by  destroying  the  land  or  islands  between,  so  that  when 
shipping,  whether  large  or  small,  as  in  the  time  of  the  Phoenicians, 
Tyrians  of  King  Solomon,  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  came  to  navi- 
gate the  seas,  America  was  found,  visited  and  colonized  anew.  Iti 
this  way  vve  account  for  the  introduction  of  arts  among  the  more 
ancient  inhabitants  whom  they  found  there ;  which  arts  are  clearly 
•poken  of  in  the  traditions  of  the  Mexicans,  who  tell  us  of  white 
and  bearded  men,  as  related  by  Humboldt,  who  came  from  the 
Bun,  (as  they  supposed  the  Spaniards  did,)  changed  or  reduced  the 
wandering  millions  of  the  woods  to  order  and  government,  intro- 
duced amyn^  them  the  art  of  agriculture,  a  know!edg»i  of  metals, 
*ith  tflaf  ct  architecture ;  so  that  when  Columbus  discovered 
America,  it  v.  as  filled  with  cities,  towns,  cultivated  fields  and  coun- 
tries ,  palaces,  aqueducts^  md  roads  and  highways  of  the  nations 

44 


846 


AMERICAN  ANTQUITIE8 


equal  with,  if  not  exceeding,  in  some  respects,  even  the  people  of 
the  Roman  countries,  before  the  time  of  Christ-     ^  ^ 

But  as  learning,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  shape  of  the  earth,  in 
the  times  of  the  nations  we  have  spoken  of  above,  was  not  in  gene- 
ral use  among  men ;  and  from  incessant  wars  and  revolutions  of  na- 
tions, what  discoveries  may  have  been  made,  were  lost  to  mankind; 
so  that  some  of  the  very  countries  once  known  have,  in  later  ages, 
been  discovered  over  again. 

We  will  produce  one  instance  of  a  discovery  which  has  been 

lost— the  land  of  Ophir — where  the  Tyrian  fleets  went  for  gold.  In 

th^  days  of  Solomon.  Where  is  it?  The  most  learned  do  not 
know,  cannot  agreee.     It  is  lost  as  to  identity.     Some  think  it  in 

Africa ;  some  in  the  islands  of  the  South  Atlantic,  and  some  in 
South  America ;  and  although  it  is,  wherever  it  may  be,  undoubt- 
edly an  inhabited  country,  yet  as  to  certainty,  about  its  location,  it 
is  unknown. 


ANCIENT  CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE  ONGUYS  OR  IROQUOIS. 
,    •  INDIANS. 

By  D.AVID  CvsicK. 
In  the  traditions  of  the  Tuscaroras  published  by  Cusick  in  1827, 
few  dates  are  found  ;  but  these  few  are  nevertheless  precious  for 
history. 

A  small  volume  has  been  printed  this  year  by  the  Sunday  School 
Union  on  the  History  of  the  Delaware  and  the  Ire  juois  Indians,  in 
which  their  joint  traditions  are  totally  neglected  as  usual  with  our 
•etual  book  makers. 

Although  Cusick's  dates  may  be  vague  and  doubtful,  they  de- 
serve attention,  and  they  shall  be  concisely  noticed  here. 

Anterior  to  any  date,  the  Eagwehoewe  (pronounce  Y&guyhohuy) 
meaning  real  people,  dwelt  north  of  the  lakes,  and  formed  only 
one  nation.  After  many  years  a  body  of  them  settled  on  the  river 
Kanawag,  now  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  after  a  long  time  a  foreign 
people  came  by  sea  and  settled  south  of  the  lakes- 
First  date.  Towards  2500  winters  before  Columbus'  discovery 
of  America  or  1008  years  before  oui  era,  total  overthrow  of  the 


AND  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


347 


TowtncM,  nation  of  giants  come  from  the  north,  by  the  king  of  the 
Oaguys,  Donhtoaha  and  the  hero  Yatatan. 

2d.  Three  hundred  winters  after,  or  708  before  our  era,  the  nor- 
thern nations  form  a  confederacy,  appoint  a  king  who  goes  to  visit 
the  great  emperor  of  the  Golden  City  south  of  the  lakes;  but  af- 
terwards quarrels  arise  and  a  war  of  100  years  with  this  empire  of 
the  south,  long  civil  wars  in  the  north,  &c.  A  body  of  people  es- 
caped in  the  mountain  of  Oswego,  &c. 

3d.  1500  years  before  Columbus  or  in  the  year  8  of  our  era« 
Tarenyawagon  the  first  legislator  leads  this  people  out  of  the  moun- 
tains to  the  river  Yenonatateh  now  Mohawk,  where  six  tribes  form 
An  alliance  called  the  Long-house,  Agoneaseah.  Afterwards  re- 
duced to  five,  the  sixth  spreading  W.  and  S.  The  Kautanoh  since 
Tuscarora  came  from  this.  Some  went  as  far  as  the  Onauweyoka 
now  Mississippi. 

4th.  In  108  the  Kouearawyeneh  or  Flying  H^ads  invade  the  five 
nations. 

6th.  In  242,  the  Shakanahih  or  Stone  Giants  a  branch  of  the  wes- 
tern  tribe  berome  Cannibals,  return  and  desolate  the  country  ;  but 
they  are  overthrown  and  driven  north  by  Tarenyawagon  II. 

6th.  Towards  350  Tarenyawagon  III.  defeats  other  foes  called 
Snakes. 

7th.  In  492,  Atotarho  I.  king  of  the  Onondagas  quells  ci ,  U  wars, 
begins  a  dynasty  ruling  over  all  the  five  nations  till  Atota;  -.o  IX. 
who  ruled  yet  in  1142.     Events  are  since  referred  to  their  reig'^'' 

8th.  Under  Atotarho  II.  a  Tarenyawagon  IV.  appears  to  h»  . 
him  to  destroy  Oyalk-guhoer  or  the  big  bear. 

9th.  Under  Atotarho  III.  a  tyrant  Sohnanrowah  arises  on  the 
Kaunaseh  now  Susquehanah  River,  which  makes  war  on  the  Sah- 
wanug. 

10th.  In  602  under  Atotarho  IV.  the  Towancus  now  Mississau- 
gers  cede  to  the  Senecas  the  lands  east  of  the  the  River  Niagara, 
who  settle  on  it*  ^ 

11th.  Under  Atotarho  V.  war  between  the  Seneca^i  .v«  Ottn- 
wahs  of  Sandusky. 

12th,  Towards  852  under  Atotarho  VI.  the  Senecas  reach  the 
Ohio  river  compel  the  Ottawahs  to  sue  for  peace. 

13th.  Atotarho  VII.  sent  embassies  to  the  W.  the  Kentakeh  na- 

h*'  d^velt  S.  of  the  Ohio,  the  Chipiwas  on  the  Mississippi. 


#'  -   A; 


348 


AMRRICAN    ANTiqUITIEl 


I4th.  Towards  1042,  under  Atotarho  VIII.  wnr  with  the  Tow* 
ancBS ;  and  a  foreign  stranger  visits  the  Tuscaroras  of  Neuse  Rivitr, 
who  are  divided  into  three  tribes  and  at  war  with  the  Nanticokes 
and  Totalis. 

16th.  h)  t'  2  ir-'er  Atotarho  IX.  first  civil  war  between  the 
Eriar<^  u(  hakf  iJ.ie  sprung  from  the  Senecas  and  the  five  na- 
tions- 

IKiC  end  these  traditions.  '  C.  S.  R. 

The  foregoing  is  a  curious  trait  of  the  ancient  history,  of  the 
wars  and  revolutions,  which  have  transpired  in  America. 

It  would  appear  that  ^'  !h,  '.^^.<,  of  the  overthrow  of  the  Tawan- 
cas,  1008  years  before  Christ,  caMed  in  the  tradition,  a  nation  of 
giants,  that  it  was  about  the  time  the  temple  of  Solomon  was  fin- 
ished ;  showing  clearly  that  as  they  had  become  powerful  in  this 
country,  that  they  had  settled  here  at  a  very  early  period,  probably 
about  the  time  of  Abraham,  within  340  years  of  the  flood. 

The  hero  who  conq"^ered  them  was  called  Yatatan^  king  of  the 
OnguySj  names  which  refer  them,  as  to  origin,  to  the  ancient'Scyth- 
ians  in  Asia. 

Three  hundred  winters  after  this,  or  708  years  before  Christ, 
about  the  time  of  the  comraencment  of  the  Rom'T  empire  by 
Romullus,  the  northern  nations  form  a  grand  confederacy,  and  ap- 
point a  king,  who  went  on  a  visit  to  the  great  emperor  of  the  Golden 
City,  sotUh  of  the  western  lakes. 

Were  we  to  conjecture  where  this  Golden  City  was  situated, 
we  should  say  on  the  Mississippi,  where  the  Missouri  forms  a  junc- 
tion with  that  riv  ji  at  or  near  St.  Louis,  as  at  this  place  and  round- 
about its  precincts  are  tl  e  remains  of  an  immenite  population. 
This  is  1  kely  t';  city,  (  vhich  the  seven  persons  who  were  cast 
aw.iy  ou  the  island  Estotilaud,  as  before  related,  were  carried  to ; 
being  far  to  the  southwest,  from  that  island,  supposed  to  be  New- 
foundlano,  St.  Lewis  is  in  'utat  directioa- 

This  visit  of  Yatatan  to  the  gulden  city  it  "ppetir*)  was  the  oc- 
casion of  a  100  years  civil  ^  ar,  which  ended  in  iue  ruin  of  the 
Golden  City,  abod^  Mhe  citizens  escaping,  fled  far  to  the  east 
and  hid  themselves  ^f  ountains,  (Oswego)  aloug  the  southern 
shores  of  lake  Ontario,  wht  e  they  remained  about  700  years,  till  a 
great  leader  arose  among  them,  called  Twrenyawagon^who  led  them  to 
nettle  on  the  Alohawkj  this  was  eight  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ. 


AND    DISCOrr-RlEI    IN    TIIK    WEST. 


•«• 


These  refuges  from  the  (  en  City,  bad  now  multiplied  m  that 
they  had  become  severa  nui  ons,  whence  the  grand  confederacy  of 
six  nations  was  formed-  Upon  these,  &  nation  called  Flying  Heads 
made  war  but  were  unsuccessful,  plso,  in  242  years  after  Christ,  % 
nation  called  Stone  Giants,  made  an  attempt  to  destroy  them  but 
failed.  They  were  successful  in  other  wars  against  the  Snake  In- 
dians, a  more  western  tribe. 

About  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  Mahomet's  career  in 
602,  a  great  tirant  arose  on  the  Susquehannah  river,  who  waged 
war  with  the  surrounding  nations,  from  which  it  appears,  that  while 
in  Africa,  Europe  and  Asia,  revolution  succeeded  revolution,  em- 
pires rising  on  the  ruins  of  empires  that  in  America,  the  same 
scenes  were  acting  on  as  great  a  scale — cultivated  regions — popu- 
lous cities  and  towns,  were  reduced  to  a  wilderness,  as  in  the  other 
<>ontinentsi.    «j 


EVIDENCE  THAT  A  NATION  OF  AFRICANS.  THE   DESCEND 
ANTS  OF  HAM,  NOW  INHABIT  A  DISTRICT  OF  S.  AMERICA. 

BT   C.  S.  RAFIMES<tUK. 

The  Yarura  nation  of  the  Oronoco  regions,  (also  called  Jarura, 
Jaros,  Worrow,  Guarau,  &c.)  is  one  of  the  darkest  and  ugliest  in 
in  South  America,  some  tribes  of  it  are  quite  black  like  negroes  and 
are  called  monkeys.  They  are  widely  spread  from  Guyana  to 
Choco.  The  following  35  words  of  their  language  collected  from 
Gili,  Hervas  and  Vtter,  have  enabled  me  to  trace  their  origin  to 
Africa. 


IT  God. 
^Heaven. 

Earth. 

Water. 

River. 
^Sun  and  day. 

Moon. 

Star. 


CoBomeh  Anderh. 

Andfch- 

Dabu,  Dahu. 

Uy,  Uvi. 

Nicua. 

Doh 

Goppeh. 

£oebo«. 


300 


▲MKMCAIf  AJfTIQUlTlli 


'T^ 


Fbr€. 

Soul. 
Wood. 
Plain. 
VBread. 
Name. 
Give. 
Come. 
Mayxe. 
ITAfaii. 
Woman. 
Father. 
Mother. 
Head. 
Eyc$. 
^Noae. 
Tongue. 
Feet. 

mi- 
Being. 
Our. 
Will. 
Power. 
I 
f 

KS 


Coli,u^. 

YuBDch. 

Yu»y. 

Chiri. 

Tarab,  Tambeh. 

Kuen. 

Yero. 

Manatedi. 

Pueh, 

Pumeh. 

Ibi. 

Aya. 

Aiai. 

Pachu. 

Yondeb. 

Nappeb 

Topeno. 

Tao. 

Chatandra. 

AbechiQ.  Conom. 

Ibba. 

Ea. 

Beh. 

Canameh. 

Noeni.  '    ' 

Tarani. 


Those  marked  TT  or  7  out  of  34  have  some  analogy  with  the  En- 
glish, equal  to  19  per  cent. 

The  language  of  the  Gahunas,  negros  of  Choco  and  Popayan 
has  50  per  cent  analogy  with  the  Yarura,  since  out  of  8  words  to 
be  compared,  4  are  similar. 


Ood. 

CoDomeh.  Y. 

Copamo.  6 

Man.    . 

Pumeh. 

Mehora. 

One. 

Canameh. 

Araba. 

Two. 

Noeni. 

Numi. 

While  the  Ashanty  or  Fanty,  negro  lang.  widely  spread  in  W. 
Africa  has  40  per  cent  of  affinity  with  the  Yarura  or  six  words 
similar  in  fifteen  comparable. 


AND  DliCOVERlCS  Iff  TllB   WEft. 


S5l 


Earth. 

Dabu.y 

Dade.  A. 

Mother. 

Atui. 

Miua. 

Woman. 

Ibi. 

Bia. 

Fnthtr. 

Aya. 

Aga. 

Eya. 

^     Yondeh. 

Ineweh. 

Water. 

Uy. 

Uyaba. 

Thisitt  the  maximum  in  Africa.  But  the  language  of  the  Papaaa 
of  New  Guinea  i»  Polynesia  has  SO  per  cent  of  analogy,  or  aiz 
words  out  of  twelve,  which  is  the  maximum  with  the  Asiatic  and 
Polyueaic  negroes. 


Man, 

Woman. 
Mother. 
Water. 
Evil. 

One, 


Pumeh.  y. 


■l\ 


Mthora 

Ibi. 

Aini. 

Uy. 

Chatandra. 

Canameh  ) 
Amba  O.  s 


Ameneh  P. 

Bienih. 
Nana. 
Uar. 
Tarada. 

Amboher. 


It  may  have  happened  that  the  Oahunas  came  from  the  Papuas 
through  the  Pacific ;  but  the  Yaruras  from  the  Asbantis  through 
the  Atlantic :  yet  have  been  once  two  branches  of  a  single  black 
nation. 

"  Id  support  of  the  doctrine  that  the  three  sons  of  Noah  were  red, 
black  and  white,  we  bring  the  tradition  of  the  Marabous,  the  priests 
of  the  most  ancient  race  of  Africans,  which  says  that  after  the 
death  of  Noah  his  three  sons  one  of  whom  was  whUey  the  second 
f atony  or  red,  the  third  black,  agreed  to  divide  his  property  fairly, 
which  consisted  of  gold  and  silver,  vestments  of  silk,  linen  and 
wool,  horses,  cattle,  camels,  dromedaries,  sheep  and  goats,  arms, 
furniture,  corn  and  other  provisions,  besides  tobacco  and  pipes. 

*'  Having  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  assorting  these  dif- 
ferent things,  the  three  sons  were  obliged  to  defei  the  partition  of 
the  goods  till  the  next  morning.  They  therefore  smoked  a  friendly 
pipe  together,  and  then  retired  to  rest,  each  in  his  own  tent. 

"After  some  hours  sleep,  the  white  brother  awoke  before  the 
other  two,  being  moved  by  avarice,  arose  and  seized  the  gold  and 
silver,  together  with  the  precious  stones,  and  most  beautiful  vest- 
ments, and  having  loaded  the  best  camels  with  them,  pursued  hia 


859 


AMERICAI)(   ANTlQtJlTIEt 


way  to  that  country  which  his  white  posterity  have  ever  since  in' 
habited. 

"  The  Moor,  or  tawny  brother,  awaking  soon  afterwards,  with 
the  same  intentions,  and  beiig  surprised  that  he  had  been  antici- 
pated by  his  white  brotner,  secured  in  great  haste  the  remainder 
of  the  horses,  oxen  and  camels,  and  retired  to  another  part  of  the 
world,  leaving  only  some  coarse  vestments  of  cotton,  pipes  and  to- 
bacco, millet,  rice,  and  a  few  other  things  of  but  small  value. 

**The  last  lot  of  stuff  fell  to  the  snare  of  the  black  son,  the  laziest 
•f  the  three  brothers,  who  took  up  his  pipe  with  a  melancholy 
air,  and  while  he  sat  smokir  :^n  a  pensive  mood,  swore  to  be  re- 
venged."— AnqufMVs  Universal  History^  vol.  6,  p.  117,  118. 

We  have  inserted  this  tradition,  not  because  we  think  it  circum- 
stantially true,  with  respect  to  the  goods,  &c.,  but  because  we  find 
in  it  this  one  important  trait,  viz.  the  origin  of  human  complexions 
in  the  family  of  Noah :  and  if  the  tradition  is  supposed  altogether  a 
fiction,  we  wouKI  ask,  how  came  these  Africans  the  most  degraded 
and  ignorant  of  the  human  race — by  so  important  a  trait  of  ancient 
history — as  that  such  a  man,  with  three  sons,  ever  existed,  from 
whom  the  three  races  descended,  if  it  were  not  so. 


DISAPl»EARANCE  OF  MANY  ANCIENT  LAKES  OF  THE  WEST, 
AND  OF  THE  FORMATION  OF  SEA  COAL. 

This  description  of  American  antiquities  comes  to  the  mind  with 
a  far  greater  power  to  captivate,  than  the  accounts  already  given ; 
because  to  know  that  the  millions  of  mankind,  with  their  multifa- 
rious works,  covering  the  vales  of  all  our  rivers,  many  of  which 
were  once  the  bottoms  of  immense  I'.kes ;  and  where  the  tops  of 
the  tallest  forests  peer  to  the  skies,  or  where  the  towering  spires  of 
many  a  Christian  temple  makes  glad,  with  their  sight,  the  heart  of 
civilized  roan,  and  where  the  smoking  chimnies  of  his  widespread 
habitation&"-onc(!  sported  the  monstrous  lake  serpent,  and  the  finny 
tribes,  as  birds  passed  in  scaly  waves  aionr^  the  horizon. 

We  look  to  the  soil  where  graze  the  peaceful  flock ;  to  the  fields 
^hCT£  wave  a  thousand  harvests;  to  the  air  above,  where  play  the 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE    WEST- 


363 


wings  of  the  low  flighted  swallow;  and  to  the  road  where  the 
sound  of  passing  wheels  denote  the  course  of  men ;  and  say,  can 
this  be  so  ?  Was  all  this  space  once  the  home  of  the  waves  ? 
Where  eels  and  shell  fish  oace  congregated  in  their  houses  of  mud, 
is  now  fixed  the  foundation  of  many  a  stately  mansion,  the  dwell- 
ing of  man.  Such  the  mutation  of  matter,  and  the  change  of  habi- 
tation ! 

We  forbear  to  ramble  farther  in  this  field  of  speculation,  which 
opens  before  us  with  such  immensity  of  prospect,  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  the  disappearance  of  lakes  supposed  to  have  existed  in  the 
west. 

To  do  this,  we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  the  opinions  of  several 
distinguished  authors,  as  Yolney,  in  his  travels  in  America ;  School- 
craft, in  his  travels  in  the  central  parts  of  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  and  Professor  Beck,  in  hik  (jazettcer  of  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri.! 

We  commence  with  the  gifted  and  highly  classical  writer,  C. 
F.  Volney  ;  who,  although  we  do  not  subscribe  o  his  notions  of 
theology,  yet  as  a  naturalist  we  esteem  him  of  the  highest  class, 
and  his  statements,  with  his  deductions,  to  be  worthy  of  attention. 

He  commences  by  saying,  that  in  the  structure  of  the  mountains 
of  the  Uaited  States,  exists  a  fact  more  strikingly  apparent  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world,  which  must  singularly  have  increased 
the  action  and  varied  the  movements  of  the  waters.  If  wc  atten- 
tively examine  the  land,  or  even  the  maps  of  this  country,  we  must 
perceive  thet  the  principal  chains  or  ridges  of  the  Alleghanies,  Blue 
Ridge,  &c  ,  all  run  in  a  transverse  or  cross  direction,  to  the  course 
of  all  the  great  rivers ;  and  that  these  rivers  have  been  forced  to 
rupture  their  mounds  or  barriers,  and  break  through  these  ridges, 
in  order  to  make  their  way  to  the  sea  from  the  bosoms  of  the 
valleys. 

This  is  evident  in  the  Potomac,  Susquehannah,  Delaware  and 
James  rivers,  and  others,  where  they  issue  from  the  confines  df  the 
mountains  to  enter  the  lower  country. 

But  the  CTiample  which  most  attracted  his  attention  on  the  spot, 
was  that  of  the  Potomac,  three  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  She- 
nandoa.  He  was  coming  from  Fredericktown,  about  twenty  miles 
distant,  and  travelling  from  the  southeast  towards  the  northwest, 
through  a  woody  country,  with  gentle  ascents  and  descents.     After 

45    . 


354 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


he  had  crossed  one  ridge,  pretty  distinctly  ma*'ked,  though  by  no 
means  steep,  began  to  see  before  him,  eleven  or  twelve  miles  west- 
ward, the  chain  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  resembling  a  lofty  rampart, 
covered  with  forests,  and  having  a  breach  through  it  from  top  to 
bottom.  He  again  descended  into  the  undulating  wood  country, 
which  separated  him  from  it ;  and  at  length,  on  approaching  it,  he 
found  himself  at  the  foot  of  this  great  mountainous  rampart,  which 
he  had  to  cross,  and  ascertained  to  be  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  high,  or  one  hundred  and  twenty  rods,  (nearly  half  a  mile) 
deep. 

On  emerging  from  the  wood,  he  had  a  full  view  of  this  tremen- 
dous breach,  which  he  judged  to  be  about  twelve  hundred  yards 
wide,  or  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  rods,  which  is  about  three 
fourths  of  a  mile.  Through  the  bottom  of  this  breach  ran  the  Po- 
tomac, leaving  on  its  left  a  passable  bank  or  slope,  and  on  its  right 
washing  the  foot  of  the  breach.  On  both  sides  of  the  chasm,  from 
top  to  bottom,  many  trees  were  then  growing  among  the  rocks,  and 
in  part  concealed  the  place  of  the  rupture  ;  but  about  two-thirds  of 
the  way  up,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river,  a  large  perpendicular 
space  remains  quite  bare,  and  displays  plainly  the  traces  and  bc^'.a 
of  the  ancient  land,  or  natural  wall,  which  once  dammed  uj:  this 
river,  formed  of  grey  quartz,  which  the  victorious  river  has  over- 
tlirown,  rolling  its  fragments  a  considerable  distance  down  its 
course.  Some  large  blocks  that  have  r.^sisted  its  force,  still  rei;  in 
a-}  testimonials  of  the  convulsion. 

The  bed  of  this  river,  at  this  place,  is  rugged,  with  fixed  rocks, 
which  are,  however,  gradually  wearing  away.     Its  rapid  waters 
boil  and  foam  through  these  obstacles,  which,  for  a  distance  of  two 
miles  form  very  dangerous  falls  or  rapids.     From  the  height  of  the 
mountain  on  each  side  of  the  river,  and  from  attending  circumstan- 
ces, the  rapids  below  the  gap  and  the  narrows,  for  .several  miles 
above  the  immediate  place  of  rupture,  are  sufficient  evidence  that 
at  this  place  was  originally  a  mountain  dam  to  the  river;  conse- 
que>tly  a  lake  above  must  have  been  the  eifect,  with  falls  of  the 
most  magnificent  description,  which  had  thundered  in  their  descent 
from  the  time  of  Noah's  flood  till  the  rupture  of  the  ridge  took 
place. 

At  the  end  of  three  miles  he  came  to  the  confluence  of  the  river 
Shenandoa,  which  issued  out  suddenly  from  the  steep  mountain  of 


AND   DISCOVERIES    IN   THE    WEST. 


855 


llie  Blue  Ridge.  This  river  is  but  about  one-third  as  wide  as  the 
Potomac ;  having,  Uke  that  river,  also  broken  through  a  part  of 
the  same  ridge. 

He  says,  "  the  more  he  considered  this  spot  and  its  circumstan- 
ces, the  more  he  was  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  formerly  the 
chain  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  Its  entire  state,  completely  denied  the 
Potomac  a  passage  onward ;  and  that  then  all  the  waters  of  the  up- 
per part  of  the  river,  having  no  issue,  formed  several  considerable 
lakes.  The  numerous  transverse  chains  that  succeed  each  other 
beyond  Fort  Cumberland,  could  not  fail  to  occasion  several  more 
west  of  North  Mountain. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  all  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoa  and  Coni- 
gocheague,  must  have  been  the  basin  of  a  single  lake,  extending 
from  Staunton  to  Chambersburg ;  and  as  the  level  of  the  hills, 
even  those  from  which  these  two  rivers  derive  their  source,  is 
much  below  the  chains  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  it 
is  evident  that  this  lake  must  have  been  bounded  at  first  only  by 
the  general  line  of  the  summit  of  these  two  great  chains ;  so  that  in 
the  earliest  ages  it  must  have  spread,  like  them,  toward  the  south, 
as  far  as  the  great  Alleghanies." 

At  that  period,  the  two  vpper  branches  of  James  river,  equally 
bounded  by  tlie  Blue  Ridge,  would  have  swelled  it  with  all  their 
waters ;  while  toward  the  north,  the  general  level  of  the  lake,  find- 
ing no  obstacles,  must  have  spread  itself  between  the  Blue  Ridge 
and  the  chain  of  Kittatinny,  not  only  to  the  Susquehannah  and 
Schuylkill,  but  beyond  the  Schuylkill,  and  even  the  Delaware. 

Then  all  the  lower  country,  lyii  g  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and 
the  sea,  had  only  smaller  stream«,  furnished  by  the  eastern  declivi- 
ties of  that  ridge,  and  the  oveiflowing  of  the  lake,  pouring  from  its 
■summit  over  the  brow  of  the  ridge ;  in  many  places  forming  cas- 
cades of  beauty,  which  maiked  the  scenery  of  primeval  landscape, 
immediately  after  the  deluge. 

"  In  consequence,  the  river  there  being  less,  and  the  land  gene- 
rally more  flat,  the  ridge  of  talck  granite  must  have  stopped  the  wa- 
ters, and  Cormed  marshy  lakes.  The  sea  must  have  come  up  to  the 
vicinity  of  this  ridge,  and  there  occasioned  other  marshes  of  the 
same  kind,  as  the  Dismal  Swamp,  near  Norfolk ;"  being  partly  in 
the  states  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  "  And  if  the  reader  re- 
collect, the  stratum  of  black  mud  mingle '  with  t)sier  and  trees, 


366 


AMEKICAM    ANTiqUITIEK 


which  is  found  every  ivhere  in  boring  on  the  coast,  he  ^vill  see  in 
it  a  proof  of  the  troth  of  this  hypothesis." 

But  when  the  great  embankment  gave  away,  by  the  weight  of 
the  waters  above,  or  by  attrition,  convulsion,  or  whatever  may  have 
been  the  cause  of  their  rupture,  the  rush  of  the  waters  brought 
from  above,  all  that  stratum  of  earth  now  lying  on  the  top  of  these 
subterranean  trees,  osiers  and  mud  above  noticed. 

"  This  operation  must  have  been  so  much  the  easier,  as  Blue 
Ridge  in  general  is  not  a  homogeneous  mass  crystalized  in  vast 
strata,  but  a  heap  of  detached  blocks,  of  different  magnitudes,  mix- 
ed with  vegetable  mould,  easily  diifusable  in  water  ;  it  is  in  fact  a 
wall,  the  stones  of  which  are  imbedded  in  clay ;  and  as  its  declivi- 
ties are  very  steep,  it  frequently  happens  that  thaws  and  heavy 
rains,  by  carrying  away  the  earth,  deprive  the  masses  of  stones  of 
their  support,  and  then  the  fall  of  one  or  more  of  these,  occasions 
very  considerable  stone  slips  or  avalanches,  which  continue  sorne^ 
times  for  several  hours. 

"  From  this  circumstance,  the  falls  from  the  lake  must  have  acted 
with  the  more  effect  and  rapidity.  Their  first  attempts  have  left 
traces  in  those  gaps  with  which  the  line  of  summits  is  indented  from 
space  to  space,  or  from  ridge  to  ridge.  It  may  be  clearly  perceived 
on  the  spot,  that  these  places  were  the  first  drains  of  the  surplus 
waters  subsequently  abandoned  for  others,  where  the  work  of  de- 
molition was  more  easy. 

"  It  is  obvious  that  the  lakes  flowing  oft'  must  have  changed  the 
whole  face  of  the  lower  country.  By  this  were  brought  down  all 
these  earths  of  a  secondary  formation,  that  compose  the  present 
plain.  The  ridge  of  talcky  granite,  pressed  by  more  frequent  and 
voluminous  inundations,  gave  way  in  several  points,  and  its  marshes 
added  their  mud  to  the  black  niud  of  the  shore,  which,  at  present, 
we  find  buried  under  the  alluvial  earth,  afterward  brought  down 
by  the  enlarged  rivers." 

In  the  valley  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  the 
changes  that  took  place  were  conformable  to  the  mode  in  which  the 
water  flowed  off.  Several  breaches  having,  at  once  or  in  succes- 
sion, given  a  passage  to  the  streams  of  water  now  called  James, 
Potomac,  Susquehaunah,  Schuylkill  and  Delaware,  their  general 
and  common  reservoir  was  divided  into  as  many  distinct  lakes,  sep- 
arated by  the  risings  of  the  ground  that  exceeded  this  level.     Each 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


367 


see  in 


of  tbese  lakes  had  its  particular  drain,  and  this  drain  being  at  length 
worn  down  to  the  lowest  level,  the  land  was  left  completely  un> 
covered. 

This  must  have  occurred  earlier  with  James,  Susquehannah, 
and  Delaware,  because  their  basins  are  more  elevated,  and  it  must 
have  happened  more  recently  with  the  Potomac,  for  the  opposite 
reason,  its  basin  being  the  deepest  of  all." 

"  How  far  the  Delaware  then  extended  the  reflux  of  its  waters 
toward  the  east,  he  could  not  ascertain  ;  however,  it  appears  its  ba- 
sin was  bounded  by  the  ridge  that  accompanies  its  left  bank,  and 
which  is  the  apparent  continuation  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  North 
Mountain.  It  is  probable  that  its  basin  has  always  been  separate 
from  that  of  the  Hudson,  as  it  is  certain  that  the  Hudson  has  al- 
ways had  a  distinct  basin,  the  limit  and  mound  of  which,  were 
above  West  Point,  at  the  place  called  the  Highlands. 

To  every  one  who  views  this  spot,  it  seems  incontestible,  that 
the  transverse  chain  bearing  the  name  of  the  Highlands,  was  for- 
merly a  bar  to  the  course  of  the  entire  river,  and  kept  its  waters  at 
a  considerable  height ;  and  considering  that  the  tide  flows  as  far  as 
ten  miles  above  Albany,  is  the  proof  that  the  level  above  the  ridge, 
was  a  lake,  which  reached  as  far  as  to  the  rapids  at  Fort  Edward. 

At  that  time,  therefore,  the  Cahoes  or  falls  of  the  Mohawk  did 
not  appear,  and  till  this  lake  was  drained  off  through  the  gap  at 
West- Point,  the  sound  of  those  falls  were  not  heard. 

"  The  existence  of  this  lake  explains  the  cause  of  the  alluvials, 
petrified  shells,  and  strata  of  schist  and  clay,  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Mitchell,  and  proves  the  justice  of  the  opinions  of  this  judicious 
observer,  respecting  the  stationary  presence  of  waters  in  ages  past, 
along  the  valley  of  many  of  the  American  rivers.  These  ancient 
lakes,  now  dreaned  by  the  rupture  of  their  mounds,  explains  an- 
other appearance  which  is  observed  in  the  valley  of  such  rivers  as 
are  supposed  to  have  been  once  lakes,  as  the  Tennessee,  the  Ken- 
tucky, the  Mississippi,  the  Kanhaway,  and  the  Ohio.  This  ap- 
pearance is  the  scveial  stages  or  flats,  observed  on  the  banks  of 
these  rivers,  and  most  of  the  rivers  of  America,  as  if  the  water 
once  was  higher,  than  at  subsequent  periods,  and  by  some  means 
were  drained  off"  more ;  so  that  the  volume  of  water  fell  lower, 
when  a  new  mark  of  embankment  would  be  formed,  marking  the 
original  heights  of  the  shores  of  these  rivers. 


i)58 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


In  none  is  this  appearance  more  perceptible  than  the  Ohio,  at 
the  place  called  Cincinnati,  or  Fort  Washington  ;  here  the  original, 
or  first  bank,  is  nearly  fifty  feet  high,  and  runs  along  parallel  with 
the  river,  at  the  distance  of  about  seventy-five  rods.  The  high 
floods,  sometimes  even  now,  overflow  this  first  level. 

At  other  places  the  banks  are  marked,  not  with  so  high  an  an- 
cient shore,  but  then  the  lownessof  the  country,  in  such  places,  ad- 
mitted the  spread  of  the  waters  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  oi  nature. 
When  we  examine  the  arrangement  of  these  fiats,  which  are  pre- 
sented in  the  form  of  stages  along  this  river,  we  remain  convinced 
that  even  the  most  elevated  part  of  the  plain,  or  highest  level,  a- 
bout  Cincinnati,  has  been  once  the  seat  of  waters,  and  even  the 
primitive  bed  of  the  river,  which  appears  to  have  had  three  difierent 
periods  of  decline,  till  it  has  sunken  to  its  present  bed  or  place  of 
its  current." 

**  The  first  of  the  periods  was  the  time  when  the  transverse  ridg- 
es of  the  hills  yet  entire,  bared  up  the  course  of  the  Ohio,  and  act- 
ing aj  mounds  to  it,  kept  the  water  level  with  their  summits.  All 
the  country  within  this  level  was  then  one  immense  lake,  or  marsh 
of  stagnant  water.  In  lapse  of  time,  and  from  the  periodical  ac- 
tion of  the  floods,  occasioned  by  the  annual  melting  of  the  snows, 
some  feeble  parts  of  the  mound  were  worn  away  by  the  water." 

"  One  of  the  gaps  having  at  length  given  away  to  the  current, 
the  whole  effort  of  the  waters  was  collected  in  that  point,  which 
soon  hollowed  out  for  itself  a  greater  depth,  and  thus  sunk  the  lake 
several  yards.  This  first  operation  uncovered  the  i^pper  or  first 
level  on  which  the  waters  had  stood,  from  the  time  of  the  subsid- 
ing of  the  deluge  till  the  first  rupture  took  place. 

From  the  appearances  of  the  shores  of  river,  it  seems  to  have 
maintained  its  position  after  the  first  draining,  some  length  of  time, 
so  as  distinctly  to  mark  the  position  of  the  waters,  when  a  second 
draining  took  place,  because  the  waters  had,  by  their  action,  remo- 
ved whatever  may  have  opposed  the  first  attempt  to  break  lown 
their  mound  or  barrier. 

"The  third  aod  last  rent  of  the  barrier,  took  place  at  length, 
when  the  fall  of  the  water  became  more  furious,  being  now  more 
concentrated,  scoped  out  for  itself  a  narrower  and  deeper  channel, 
which  is  its  present  bed,  leaving  all  the  immense  alluvial  regions 
of  the  Ohio  bare,  and  exjwsed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun. 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE   WEST. 


8S9 


I 


"  It  is  probable  tbat  the  Ohio  has  been  obstructed  at  more  places 
than  one,  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  rapids  of  Louisville,  as  that  below 
Silver  Creek,  'about  five  miles  from  the  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  and 
towards  Galliopolis  and  the  Sciota,  several  transverse  chains  of 
mountains  exist,  very  capable  of  answering  this  purpose.  Volney 
says  it  was  not  till  his  return  from  Fort  Vincent  on  the  Wabash, 
that  he  was  struck  with  the  disposition  of  a  chain  of  hills  below 
Silver  Creek." 

This  ridge  crosses  the  basin  of  the  Ohio  from  north  to  south,  and 
has  obliged  the  river  to  change  its  direction,  from  the  east  toward 
the  west,  to  seek  an  issue,  which  in  fact  it  finds  at  the  confiuence 
of  Salt  River ;  and  it  may  even  be  said,  that  it  required  the  copioug 
and  rapid  waters  of  this  river  and  its  numerous  branches,  to  force 
the  mound  that  opposed  its  way  at  this  place." 

The  steep  declevity  of  these  ridges  requires  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  to  descend  it,  by  the  way  of  the  road,  though  it  is  good  and 
commodious,  and  by  comparison  with  other  hills  round,  he  conceiv- 
ed the  perpendicular  height  to  be  about  four  bundled  fieet,  or 
twenty-five  rods."  "  The  summit"  of  those  hills,  when  Volney 
examined  them,  "  Vv'aa  too  thickly  covered  with  wood  for  the  late- 
ral course  of  the  chain  to  be  seen  ;"  but  so  far  as  he  could  ascer- 
tain, "  perceived  that  it  runs  very  far  north  and  south,  and  closes 
the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  throughout  its  whole  breadth." 

This  basin,  viewed  from  the  summit  of  this  range,  exhibits 
the  appearance  and  form  of  a  lake  so  strongly,  that  the  idea  of  the 
ancient  existence  of  one  here,  is  indubitable. 

"  Other  circumstances  tend  to  confirm  this  idea,  for  he  observed 
from  this  chain  to  White  River,  eight  miles  from  Fort  Vincent, 
that  the  country  is  interspersed  by  a  number  of  ridges,  many  of 
them  steep,  and  even  lofty  ;  they  are  particularly  so  beyond  Blue 
Ridge,  and  on  both  banks  of  White  River,  and  their  direction  is 
every  where  such,  that  they  meet  the  Ohio  transversely." 

"  On  the  other  hand,  he  found,  at  Louisville,  that  the  south  or 
Kentucky  bank  of  the  river,  corresjwnding  to  them,  had  similar 
ridges ;  so  that  in  this  part,  i;5  a  succession  of  ridges  capable  of  op- 
posing powerful  obstacles  to  the  waters.  It  is  not  till  lower  down 
the  river,  that  the  country  becomes  flat,  and  the  ample  savannahs 
of  the  Wabash  and  Green  River  commence,  'which  extending  to 


360 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


the  Mijiissippi,  exclude  every  idea  of  any  other  mound  or  barrier 
to  the  waters  on  that  side  of  the  river." 

There  is  another  fact  in  favor  of  "  these  western  rivers  having 
been,  in  many  places,  lakes,  found  in  this  country ;  and  is  noticed 
as  a  great  singularity.  In  Kentucky,  all  the  rivers  of  that  country 
flow  more  slowly  near  their  sources  than  at  their  mouths ;  which  is 
directly  the  reverse  of  what  takes  place  in  most  rivers  of  other 
parts  of  the  world  ;  whence  it  is  inferred,  that  the  upper  bed  of 
the  rivers  of  Kentucky,  is  a  flat  country,  and  that  their  lower  bed, 
at  the  entrances  of  the  vale  of  the  Ohio,  is  a  descending  slope-" 

Now  this  perfectly  accords  with  the  idea  of  an  ancient  lake  ;  for 
at  the  time  when  this  lake  extended  to  the  foot  of  the  Alleghanies, 
its  bottom,  particularly  toward  its  mouth,  must  have  been  nearly 
smooth  and  level,  its  surface  being  broken  by  no  action  of  the  wa- 
ters ;  but  when  the  mounds  or  hills,  which  confined  this  tranquil 
body  of  water,  were  broken  down,  the  soil  laid  bare,  began  to  be 
furrowed  and  cut  into  sluices,  by  its  drains,  and  when  at  length, 
the  current  became  concentrated  in  the  vale  of  the  Ohio,  and  de- 
molished its  dyke  more  rapidly,  the  soil  of  this  vale  washed  away 
with  violence,  leaving  a  vast  channel,  the  slopes  of  which  occasion- 
ed the  waters  of  the  plain  to  flow  to  it  more  quickly  ;  and  hence 
this  current,  which,  notwithstanding  the  alterations  that  have  been 
going  on  ever  since,  have  continued  more  rapid  to  the  present 
day." 

"  Admitting  then,  that  the  Ohio  has  been  barred  up,  either  by 
the  chain  of  Silver  Creek,  or  any  other  contiguous  to  it,  a  lake 
of  great  extent  must  have  been  the  result.  From  Pittsburgh  the 
ground  slopes  so  gently,  that  the  river  when  low,  does  not  run  two 
miles  an  hour ;  which  indicates  a  fall  of  four  inches  to  the  mile. 

"  The  whole  distance  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  rapids  of  Louisville, 
following  all  th%  windings  of  the  river  does  not  exceed  six  hun- 
dred miles.  From  these  data  we  have  a  difference  of  level  amount- 
ing to  two  hundred  feet,"  which  does  not  exceed  the  elevation  of 
the  ranges  of  hills  supposed  to  have  once  (Cammed  up  the  Ohio 
River  at  that  place.  Such  a  mound  could  check  the  waters,  and 
turn  them  back  as  far  as  to  Pittsburgh. 

Such  having  been  the  fact,  what  an  immense  space  of  the  west- 
ern country  must  have  lain  under  water,  from  the  subsiding  of  the 
flood  till  this  mound  was  broken  down.     This  is  made  apparent  by 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


361 


.»> 


for 


the  spring  freshets  of  the  Ohio,  at  the  present  time,  which  rising 
only  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  keeps  back  the  water  of  the  Great 
Miami,  as  far  as  Green /ille,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles  up  the 
country  to  the  north,  where  it  occasions  a  stagnation  of  that  rivef) 
and  even  au  inundation." 

In  the  vernal  '"^undatious,  the  north  branch  of  the  Great  Miami, 
forms  hut  one  \/r .  the  south  branch  of  the  Miami ;  the  space  be- 
tween becomes  one  body  of  water.  *'  The  south  branch  runs  into 
Lake  Erie,  and  is  sometimes  called  St.  Mary's  river.  The  carry- 
ing place  or  portage  between  the  heads  of  these  two  riven,  is  but 
three  miles,  and  in  high  water  the  space  can  be  passed  over  in  a 
boat,  from  one  which  runs  into  the  Ohio,  to  the  other  which  runs 
into  Lake  Erie." 

This,  Mr.  Volney  states  to  have  been  the  fact,  as  witnessed  by 
himself  on  the  spot,  in  the  year  1796 ;  so  near  are  all  these  waters 
on  a  level  with  each  other.  He  says,  that  "  during  the  year  1792, 
a  mercantile  house  at  Fort  Detroit,  which  is  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Erie,  despatched  two  canoes,  which  [passed  immediately  without 
carrying  from  the  River  Huron,  running  into  Lake  Erie  to  Grand 
River,  which  runs  into  Lake  Michigan,  by  the  waters  overflowing 
at  the  head  of  each  of  these  rivers.  The  Muskingum,  which  runs 
into  the  Ohio,  also  communicates,  by  means  of  its  sources  and  of 
small  lakes,  with  the  waters  of  the  river  Cayahoga,  which  flows 
into  Lake  Erie." 

From  all  these  facts  united  it  follows,  that  the  surface  of  the  le- 
vel country  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio,  cannot  exceed  the 
level  of  the  flat  next  to  the  watc-  of  the  Ohio,  more  thaa  an  hun* 
dred  feet,  nor  that  of  the  second  ^  <  or  level,  which  is  the  general 
surface  of  the  country,  more  than  seventy  feet ;  consequently,  a 
mound  of  two  hundred  feet  at  csilver  Creek,  six  hundred  miles 
down  the  Ohio  from  Pittsburgh,  would  have  been  suflicient  to  keep 
back  its  waters,  not  only  as  far  as  Lake  Erie,  but  even  lo  spread 
them  from  the  last  slopes  of  the  AUegbanies,  to  the  north  of  Lake 
Superior." 

"  But  whatever  elevation  we  allow  this  natural  mound,  or  if  we 
suppose  there  were  several  in  different  places,  keeping  back  the  wa- 
ter in  succession,  the  existence  of  sedentary  waters  in  this  western 
country,  and  ancient  lakes  such  ui  we  have  pointed  out  between 
Blue  Ridge  and  North  Mountain,  is  not  the  less  an  incontrovertible 

4b 


362 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


ftct,  as  must  appear  to  every  one  who  contemplates  the  country ; 
•nd  this  fact  explains,  in  a  simple  and  (atisfactory  manner,  a  uum 
ber  of  local  circumstances,  which,  ou  the  other  hand,  severe  as  proofs 
of  the  ♦,"  \;."  For  instance,  these  ancient  lakes  i  :ipluin  why,  in 
every  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  the  lan<*  always  leveled  in 
horizontal  beds  of  different  heights  ;  why  tLose  oeds  are  placed  in 
the  ordei  of  their  specific  gravity  ;  and  why  we  find  i;  various  pla- 
ces remains  of  trees,  of  osier,  and  of  other  plants.  They  also,  hap- 
pily and  naturally  account  for  the  formation  of  the  immense  beds 
of  sea  coal  found  in  the  western  country,  in  certain  situations,  and 
particular  districts-  lufact,  from  the  researches  which  the  inhabit- 
ants have  made,  it  appears*  that  the  principal  seat  of  coal  is  above 
Pittsburgh,  in  the  space  between  the  Lautel  mountain  and  the  rivers 
Alleghany  and  Monongahela,  where  exists  almost  throughout,  a  stra- 
tum, at  the  average  depth  of  twelve  and  sixteen  feet.  This  stra- 
tum is  supported  by  the  horizontal  bed  of  cal'^reous  stones,  and 
covered  with  strata  of  schists  and  slate ;  it  rises  and  falls  with  these 
on  the  hills  and  in  the  vallies,  being  thicker  as  it  rises  with  the 
hills,  but  thinner  in  the  vales." 

"  On  considering  its  local  situation,  we  see  it  occupies  the  lower 
basin  of  the  two  rivers  we  b^ve  mentioned,  and  of  their  branches, 
the  Yohogany  and  Kiskemanitaus,  all  of  which  flow  tl  rough  a 
m-Mly  flat  country,  into  the  Ohio  belcw  Pittsburgh." 

''  ;Ni  w  on  the  hypothesis  of  the  great  lake  of  which  we  have 
ti'pokei.j  this  part  will  be  found  to  have  been  originally  the  lower 
extremity  of  the  take,  and  the  part  where  its  being  kept  back  would 
have  occasioned  still  water.  It  is  admitted  by  naturalists,  that  coal 
is  formed  of  heaps  of  trees  carried  away  by  rivers  and  floods,  and 
afterwards  covered  with  earth." 

These  heaps  are  not  accumulated  in  the  course  of  the  stream,  hut 
in  parts  out  of  it,  where  they  are  left  to  their  own  weight ;  which 
becomes  saturated  with  water,  within  a  sufficient  lapse  of  time,  so 
as  to  increase  their  gravity  sufficient  to  sink  to  the  depths  below. 

"  This  process  may  be  observed,  even  now,  in  many  rivers  of 
America,  particularly  in  the  Missisippi.  which  annually  carries 
along  with  its  current  a  great  number  of  trees.  Some  of  these  trees 
are  deposited  in  the  bays  and  eddies,  and  there  left  in  still  water  to 
sink;  but  the  greater  part  reach  the  borders  of  the  ocean,  where 
the  current  being  balanced  by  the  tide,  they  are  rendered  station* 


Am)   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


SftS 


■vise  lowered  by  degrees, 

aiie  rt-(Ciled ;  forming  that 

be>  II  subsequeDtly  cover- 

mioeral  qualities  of  coal 


ray,  and  buried  under  the  mud  and  sand,  by  the  double  actioa  of 
the  stream  of  the  river  and  the  reflux  of  the  sea." 

''  In  the  same  manner,  anciently,  the  rivers  that  flow  from  the 
Alleghany  and  Laural  mountains  into  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  find- 
ing, toward  Pittsbiirgh,  the  dead  waters  und  tail  of  the  grejt  lake, 
there  deposited  the  trees  and  drift  wood  whi  they  still  carry  away 
by  thousands,  when  ti.t>  frost  breaks  up,  and  the  snows  melt  io  the 
spring:  These  trees  were  accumulated  in  strata  level  as  the  fluid 
that  bore  them  ;  and  the  m'  and  <f!  Ukt  sinking  gradually,  as 
we  have  before  explained,  its  tn  i  u 
and  the  place  of  deposit  chang 
rast  bed  which,  in  the  lapse  oi 
ed  with  earth  and  grave',  and  acqui 
the  state  in  which  we  find  it." 

'<  Coal  is  found  in  several  other  par^s  of  the  United  States,  and 
always  in  circumstances  analagous  to  those  we  have  just  described. 
In  the  year  1784,  at  the  mouth  of  the  rivulet  Laminskicola,  which 
runs  into  the  Muskingum,  the  stratum  of  coal  there  took  fire,  and 
burnt  fir  a  whole  year.  Thiamine  is  a  part  of  the  mass  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking;  and  almost  all  the  great  rivers  that  run 
into  the  Ohio,  must  have  deposits  of  this  kind  in  their  flat  and  long 
levels,  and  in  the  places  of  their  eddies. 

"  Tbb  upper  branches  of  the  Potomac,  above  and  to  the  left  of 
Fcrt  Cumberland,  have  been  celebrated  some  years  for  their  strata 
of  coal  embedded  along  their  shores,  so  that  boats  can  lie  at  their 
banks  and  load. 

"  Now,  this  part  of  the  country  has  every  appearance  of  having 
heen  once  a  lake,  pro(?uced  by  one  or  more  of  the  numerous  trans- 
verse ridges  that  bound  the  Potomac  above  and  below  Fort  Cum- 
berland. 

"  In  Virginia,  the  bed  of  James  River  rests  on  a  very  considera- 
ble bed  of  coal.  At  two  or  three  places,  where  shafts  have  heen 
sunk,  on  its  left  bank,  after  digging  an  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
through  red  clay,  a  bed  of  coal,  about  four  and  twenty  feet  thick, 
has  been  found  on  an  inclined  stratum  of  granite.  It  is  evident 
that  at  the  rapids,  lower  down,  where  the  course  of  the  river  is  still 
checked,  it  was  once  completely  obstructed  ;  and  then  there  must 
have  heen  a  standing,  and  very  probably  a  lake." 


,-v. 


M 


^ 

^^.^•v^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


1^  1^    12.2 


IMUU 

III  1.8 


1.25     1.4    ||.6 

^ 

6"     

► 

<^ 


71 


'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER, N.Y.  I4S80 

(716)  872-4503 


^J<^ 


m 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


^»^ 


7!'he  reader  will  observe,  that  wherever  there  is  a  rapid,  a' stagna- 
tion takes  place  iu  the  sheet  of  water  above,  just  as  there  is  at  a 
mill  head ;  consequently  the  drifted  trees  inust  have  accumulated 
there,  and  when  the  outlet  ef  the  lake  had  hollowed  out  for  itself  a 
gap,  and  sunk  its  level,  the  annual  floods  broug];^t  down  with  them 
«nd  deposited  the  red  clay  now  found  there  ;  as  it  is  evident  that 
tfiis  clay  was  brought  from  some  other  place,  for  the  earth  of  such 
a  quality  belongs  to  the  upper  part  of  the  course  of  the  river,  parti- 
cularly to  the  ridge  called  South  West.  '-Wt-K    ' 

"It  is  possible  that  veins  or  mines  of  coal  not  adapted  to|tius  theory, 
may  be  mentioned  or  discovered  on  the  cast  of  the  Atlantic.  But 
one  or  more  such  instances  will  not  be  sufficient  to  subvert  this 
theory  ;  for  the  whole  of  this  coast,  or  all  the  land  between  the 
ocean  and  the  AUeghanies,  from  the  St.  Lavrence  to  the  West 
Indies,  has  been  destroyed  by  earthquakes ;  the  traces  of  which 
are  every  where  to  be  seen,  and  these  earthquakes  have  al- 
tered the  arrangement  of  strata  throughout  the  whole  of  this  space." 

The  account,  as  given  by  Breckenridge,  of  the  appearance  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  country,  between  two  forks^  a  small  branch  of  the  Arkan- 
sas River,  favors  this  supposition.  "There  is  a  tract  of  country,"  he 
says,  "of  about  75  miles  square,  in  which,  nature  has  displayed  a  great 
variety  of  the  most  strange  and  whimsical  vagaries.  It  is  an  as- 
semblage of  beautiful  meadows,  verdant  ridges  and  misshapen  piles 
of  red  clay  thrown  together  in  the  utmost  appirent  confusion ;  yet 
affording  the  most  pleasing  harmonies,  and  presenting  in  every  di- 
rection, an  endless  variety  of  curious  and  interesting  objects." 

"  After  winding  along  for  a  few  miles  on  the  high  ridges,|you  sud- 
denly descend  an  almost  perpendicular  declivity  of  rocks  and  clay, 
into  a  series  of  level,  fertile  meadows  watered  by  some  beautiful 
rivulets,  and  here  and  there  8'lorned  with  shrubry,  cotton  trees, 
elms  and  cedars." 

"  These,"  natural,  "  meadows  are  divided  by  chains  formed  of 
red  day,  and  huge  masses  of  gypsum,  with  here  and  there  a  pyra- 
nud  of  gravel.  One  might  imagine  himself  surrounded  by  the 
ruins  of  some  ancient  city,  and  the  plains  to  have  been  sunk  by 
some  convulsions  of  nature,  more  than  a  IGO  feet  below  its  former 
level ;  for  some  of  the  huge  columns  of  red  clay  rise  to  the  height 
of  200  feet  perpendicular,  caped  with  rocks  of  gypsum."  This  is 
Bupposod  to  have  been  the  work  of  an  earthquake. 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST. 


365 


Thus  far  we  have  given  the  view  of  this  great  naturalist  ( Volney) 
respecting  the  existence  of  ancient  lakes  to  the  west,  and  of  the  forma- 
tion of  the  strata  of  sea  coal  in  those  regions.  If  then  it  be  allowed  that 
timber  being  deposited  deep  in  the  earth,  becomes  the  origin  of 
that  mineral,  we  discover  at  once  the  chief  material  which  feeds 
the  internal  fires  of  the  globe. 

The  earth,  at  the  era  of  the  great  deluge  being  covered  with  an 
immensity  of  forests,  more  than  it  now  presents,  furnished  the  ma- 
terial, when  sunk  and  plunged  to  the  unknown  depths  of  the  then 
soft  and  pnlpy  globe,  for  exhaustless  strata  of  sea  coal. 

This,  by  some  means,  having  taken  fire,  continues  to  burn,  and 
descending  deeper  and  deeper,  spreading  farther  and  farther,  till 
the  conquerless  element  has  even  under  sunk  the  ocean;  from 
whence  it  frequently  bursts  forth  in  the  very  middle  of  the  sea,  ac- 
companied with  all  the  grandeur  of  display  and  phenomena  of  fire 
and  water,  mingled  in  unbounded  warfare.  This  internal  opera- 
tion of  fire  feeding  on  the  unctious  minerals  of  the  globe,  among 
which,  as  chief,  is  sea  coal,  becomes  the  parent  of  many  a  new  isl- 
and, thrown  up  by  the  violence  of  that  element. 

We  cannot  but  call  to  recollection  in  this  place,  the  remarkable 
allusion  of  Isaiah  at  chap,  xxx.,  33,  which  is  so  phrased  as  al- 
most induces  a  belief  that  he  had  reference  to  this  very  circum- 
stance, that  of  the  internal  fires  of  the  globe  being  U  i  by  wood  car- 
bonated or  tamed  to  coal.  "  For  Tophet  is  ordained  of  old.  *  *  . 
He  hath  made  it  deep  and  large ;  the  pile  thereof  is  fire  and  much 
wood;  the  breath  of  the  Lord,  like  a  stream  of  brimstone  dcilh  kin- 
dle it."  %    .■.•■■  ■.;■-;•         .  -  ..    .-..-, 

Various  accidents  are  supposeable  by  which  sea  coal  may  have, 
at  first,  taken  fire,  so  as  to  commence  the  first  volcano ;  and  in  its 
operations  to  have  ignited  other  mineral  substances,  as  sulphur, 
saltpetre,  bitumen,  and  salts  of  various  kinds.  An  instance  of  the 
ignition  of  sea  coal  by  accident,  is  mentioned  in  Dr.  Beck's  Gazet- 
teer, to'have  taken  place  on  a  tract  of  country  called  the  American, 
BoHoni,  situated  between  the  Kaskaskia  river  and  the  mouth  of  the 
MisscMri.  On  this  great  alluvion,  which  embraces  a  body  of  land 
equal  to  five  hundred  square  miles,  sea  coal  abounds,  and  was  first 
discovered  in  a  very  singular  manner.  In  clearing  the  ground  of 
its  timber,  a  tree  took  fire  which  was  standing  and  was  dry,  which 


306 


AMERICAN  ANTiqUITIEi 


t 


communictted  to  the  roots,  but  continued  to  burn  much  longer 
than  was  sufficient  to  exhaust  the  tree,  roots  and  all. 

But  upon  examination,  it  was  found  to  have  taken  hold  of  a  bed 
of  coal,  which  continued  to  burn  until  the  fire  was  smothered  by 
the  falling  in  of  a  large  body  of  earth,  which  the  fire  had  under- 
mined by  destroying  the  coal  and  causing  a  cavity.  Thid  is  a  vol- 
cano in  miniature,  and  how  long  it  might  have  continued  its  rava- 
ges with  increased  violence,  is  unknown,  had  it  not  have  so  oppor- 
tunely been  extinguished. 

But  this  class  of  strata  of  that  mineral  lies,  of  necessity,  much 
deeper  in  many  places  than  any  other  of  the  kind,  deposited  since 
the  flood,  by  the  operation  of  rivers  and  lakes.  If,  as  we  have  sup- 
posed in  this  volume,  the  earth,  previous  to  the  flood  of  Noah,  had 
a  greater  land  surface  than  at  the  present  time,  we  find  in  this  sup- 
position a  sufficiency  of  wood,  the  deposition  of  which  being  thrown 
into  immense  heaps  by  the  whirls,  waves  and  eddies  of  the  waters, 
to  make  whole  subterranean  ranges  of  this  coal  equal  in  size  to  the 
largest  and  longest  mountains  of  the  glube. 

These  ranges,  in  many  places,  rise  even  above  the  ordinary  sur- 
face of  the  land,  having  been  bared,  since  the  flood,  by  the  violence 
of  convulsions  occasioned  by  both  volcanic  fires  and  the  irruptions 
of  waters. 

If  those  philosophers  who  afiect  to  despise  the  writings  of  Moses, 
u  found  in  the  Book  of  Gen  the  only  author  the  wide  earth 
ever  afforded  who  has  givei\  ^n  account  uf  the  deluge,  would 
think  of  this  fact,  the  origin  of  sea  coal,  they  coald  not  but  subscribe 
to  this  one  account  at  least,  which  that  book  has  given  of  the  flood. 
The  insignificant  depositions  of  timber,  occasioned  by  the  drawing 
off  of  lakes,  or  change  of  water  courses,  since  the  flood,  cannot  he 
supposed  to  be  in  sufficient  quantities  to  furnish  the  vast  magazines 
of  this  mineral,  compared  with  that  of  the  universal  flood.  These 
strata  of  coal  appearing  too  in  such  situations  as  to  preclude  al?  idea 
of  their  having  been  formed  by  the  operation  of  water  since  the 
flood,  so  that  we  are  driven,  by  indubitable  deduction  of  fair  and 
logical  argument,  to  resort  to  just  such  an  occurrence  as  the  dehige^ 
the  account  of  which  is  given  by  Moses  in  the  Scripture.  So  that 
it  there  were  never  an  universal  flood,  as  stated  in  the  Bible,  the 
ingenuity  of  sceptical  philosophy  would  be  sadly  perplexed,  as  well 


AND  DISCOVEAIBS  IN  THB  WEST. 


367 


U  all  others,  to  account  for  the  deposition  of  wood  enough  to  fur- 
nish all  the  mines  of  this  article  found  over  the  whole  earth,  in  its 
sereral  locations. 

If  another  flood  were  to  drown  the  wurld,  its  deposits  of  timhei 
could  not  equal,  by  one  half,  the  deposits  of  the  Noachiau  deluge, 
on  account  of  the  laud  surface  of  the  earth  having,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  that  flood,  been  greatly  diminished.  If  it  be  truly  said  in 
the  Bible,  that  the  earth  periafted  by  water,  and  also  that  the  foun- 
tains of  the  great  deep,  (subterranean  seas,)  were  broken  up,  we 
arrive  at  the  conclusion,  that  there  was  more  wood  devoted  to  the 
purpose  of  coal  creation,  because  there  was,  it  is  likely,  double  the 
quantity  of  surface  of  dry  land  for  the  forest  to  grow  upon. 


W 


FURTHER  REMARKS  ON  THE  DRAINING  OP  THE  WESTERN 
COUNTRY  OF  ITS  ANCIENT  LAKES. 

In  corroboration  of  the  theory  of  Mr.  Volney  on  this  subject,  we 
give  the  brief  remarks  of  that  accurate  and  pleasing  writer,  Mr. 
Schoolcraft,  well  known  to  the  reading  class  of  the  public.  He 
ir  ys,  while  treating  on  the  subject  of  the  appearance  of  the  two 
prints  of  human  feet,  in  the  limestone  strata  along  tb?  (ihore  of  the 
Mississippi,  at  St.  Louis :  ''  May  we  not  suppose  a  barrier  to  have 
once  existed  across  the  lower  part  of  the  Mississippi,  converting  ita 
immense  valley  into  an  interior  sea,  whose  action  was  adequate  to 
the  production  and  deposition  of  calcareous  strata.  We  do  not 
consider  such  a  supposition  incompatible  with  the  existence  of 
transition  rocks  in  this  valley ;  the  position  of  the  latter  being  be- 
neath the  secondary.  Are  not  the  great  northern  lakes  the  remains 
of  such  an  ocean  7  And  did  not  the  sudden  demolition  of  this  an- 
cient barrier  enable  this  powerful  stream  to  carry  its  banks,  as  it 
has  manifestly  doue,  a  hundred  miles  into  the  gulf  of  jyiexico. 

We  think  such  an  hypothesis  much  more  probable,  than  that  the 
every-day  deposits  of  this  river  should  have  that  efiect  on  the  gulf. 
We  have  been  acquainted  with  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi  for 
more  than  a  century  ;  and  yet  its  several  channels,  to  all  appear- 
•ncei  are  essentially  the  same  as  when  first  discovered. 


-  '.r 


368 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


Favoring  the  same  position,  or  tbeory,  we  give  from  Dr.  Beckys 
Gazetteer,  a  quotation  from  Silliman's  Journal,  3d  volume,  quoted 
by  that  author  from  Bringier,  on  the  Region  of  the  Mississippi,  who 
says,  that  "  hetween  White  river  and  the  Missouri,  are  three  paral- 
lel porphyry  ranges,  running  circularly  from  the  west  to  the  north- 
east. ,  ■>  ■  1^ 
,  These  three  mountains  are  twenty-eight  miles  across,  and  seem 
to  have  been  above  water,  when  the  whole  country  around  was 
covered  by  an  ocean." 

At  the  foot  of  one  of  these  ranges  was  found  the  tooth  of  some 
tremendous  monster,  supposed  to  be  the  mammoth,  twice  as  large 
as  any  found  at  the  Big-bone  lick.  An  account  of  this  creature, 
so  far  as  we  are  able  to  give  it,  has  already  been  done,  commencing 
on  page  144  to  150  inclusive,  of  this  work ;  yet  we  feel  it  incum- 
bent to  insert  a  recent  discovery  respecting  this  monster,  which  we 
had  not  seen  when  those  pages  went  to  press.  The  account  is  as 
follows : 

There  were  lately  dug  up  at  Massillon,  Starke  county,  Ohio, 
two  large  tusks,  measuring  each  nine  feet  six  inches  in  length,  and 
eight  inches  diameter,  being  two  feet  in  girth  at  the  largest  ends- 
The  weight  of  one  is  as  much  as  two  men  could  lift.  The  outside 
covering  is  as  firm  and  hard  as  ivory,  but  the  inner  parts  were  con- 
siderably decayed.  They  were  found  in  a  swamp,  about  two  feet 
below  the  surface,  and  were  similar  to  those  found  some  time  ago 
at  Bone-lick,  in  Kentucky,  the  size  of  which  animal,  judging  from 
the  bones  found,  was  not  less  than  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  twenty- 
two  in  height,  and  twelve  across  the  hips.  Each  tooth  of  the  crea- 
ture's mouth  which  was  found  weighed  eleven  pounds. — Clearfield 
Banner  y  1832. 

This  is,  indeed,  realizing  the  entire  calculation  made  by  Adam 
Clarke,  the  Commentator,  who  tells,  as  before  remarked,  that  hav- 
ing examined  one  toe  of  the  creature  supposed  to  be  the  mammoth, 
he  found  it  of  sufficient  size  and  length  to  give,  according  to  the 
rule  of  pnimal  proportion,  an  animal  at  least  sixty  feet  in  length, 
and  twenty  five  feet  high. 

It  would  seem,  that  in  nature,  whether  of  animate  or  inanimate 
things,  each  has  its  giant.  Of  the  materials  composing  the  globe, 
the  waters  are  the  giant ;  among  the  continents,  Asia ;  among  fishes, 
the  whale ;  among  ssrpents,  the  great  Li  Boa,  of  Africa ;  among 


^ 


<■  / 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE    vVEST. 


369 


quadrupeds,  the  mammoth ;  among  birds,  the  con4or ;  among  men, 
the  Patagonians;  among  trees,  the  banyan,  of  tie  east;  among 
herbs,  the  mustard  of  Palestine.  But  among  quadrupeds,  the  giant 
of  that  section  of  nature,  it  would  appear,  has  become  extinct,  by 
what  means  is  unknown:  whether  a  change  in  the  climate, a  want 
of  food — whether  by  disease,  or  the  arts  of  the  ancient  nations — all 
is  locked  in  the  fathomless  depths  of  oblivion. 

The  animal,  however,  must  have  come  down,  in  its  species, 
from  the  very  outset  of  time,  with  all  other  animals.  A  male  and 
female  of  this  enormous  beast,  must  have  been  saved  in  the  ark  ; 
but  it  is  likely  the  Divine  Providence  directed  a  pair  that  were 
young,  and  therefore  not  as  large  and  as  ferocious  as  such  as  were 
full  grown  would  be.  The  finding  of  this  animal  in  America,  is, 
it  would  appear,  incontrovertible  evidence  that  the  continent  was, 
at  some  period,  united  with  the  old  world  at  seme  place  or  places, 
as  has  been  contended  in  this  work  ;  as  so  large  an  animal  could 
neither  have  been  brought  hither  by  men,  in  any  sort  of  craft  hith- 
erto known,  except  the  ark  ;  nor  could  they  have  swam  so  far,  even 
if  they  were  addicted  to  the  water. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  western  lakes.  How  great  a 
lapse  of  time  took  place  from  the  subsiding  of  the  flood  of  Noah, 
till  the  bursting  away  of  the  several  barriers  is  unknown.  The 
emptying  out  of  such  vast  bodies  of  water,  as  held  an  almost  bound- 
less region  of  the  west  in  a  state  of  complete  subraergency,  must 
of  necessity  have  raised  the  Atlantic,  so  as  to  envelope  in  its  increase 
many  a  fair  and  level  country  along  its  coasts,  both  on  this  continent 
and  those  of  £ui;ppe  and  Africa. 

In  such  an  emergency,  all  islands,  which  were  low  on  the  sur- 
face, and  not  much  elevated  above  the  sea,  must  have  been  drown- 
ed, or  parts  of  them,  so  that  their  hills,  if  any  they  had,  would  only 
be  left,  a  sad  and  small  memorial  of  their  ancient  domains. 

It  may  have  been,  that  the  rush  of  these  mighty  waters  from  the 
west,  flowing  to  the  sea  at  once,  down  the  channels  of  so  igany  ri- 
vers, which  at  first  broke  up  and  enveloped  the  land  between  the 
range  of  the  West-India  islands  and  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. It  is  conjectured  by  naturalists,  that  the  time  was  when  those 
islands  were  in  reality  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  continent.  Some 
convulsion,  therefore,  must  have  transpired,  to  bring  about  so  great 
a  change. 

47 


■  tvi 


J 


•♦ 


370 


AMERICAN  ANTQUITIE9 


If,  as  Schoolcraft  has  suggested,  the  Mississippi,  in  bursting 
down  its  barriers,  drove  the'  earthy  matter  which  accompanied  it 
in  that  occurrence,  a  hundred  miles  into  the  sea,  it  may  well  be 
supposed  that  if  all  that  space,  now  the  Gulf,  was  then  a  low  tract 
of  country,  which  is  natural  to  suppose,  as  its  shores  are  so  now,, 
that  it  was  overwhelmed,  while  the  higher  parts  of  the  coast,  now 
the  West-India  islands,  are  all  that  remains  of  that  drowned 
country- 

The  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  full  of  low  islands,  scarcely  above  the  le- 
vel of  the  sea,  which  have  been,  from  the  earliest  history  of  that 
coast,  the  resort  of  pirates.  Their  peculiar  situation,  in  this  respect 
would  favor  the  opinion,  that  the  once  low  and  level  shores  were 
by  the  rush  and  overflowing  of  the  waters,  buried  to  a  great  extent 
into  the  country,  leaving  above  water  every  eminence,  which  are 
now  the  islands  of  the  gulf. 

From  au  examination  of  the  lakes  Seneca,  Cayuga  and  Erie,  it 
is  evident  from  their  banks,  that  anciently  the  water  stood  in  them 
ten  and  twelve  feet  higher  than  at  present,  these  also,  therefore, 
have  been  drained  a  second  time  since  those  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking,  of  which  these  were  once  a  part. 

It  is  evident  from  the  remarks  of  Breckenridge,  which  are  the 
result  of  actual  observations  of  that  traveller,  that  there  was  former- 
ly an  outlet  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi,  by  the  way  of 
the  Illinois  river,  which  heads  uear  the  southern  end  of  that  lake. 

This  is  supported  by  the  well  known  facts,  that  the  waters  of  all 
the  lakes  drained  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  has  sunk  many  feet.  The 
Illinois  shows  plainly  the  marks  of  having  once  conveyed  a  much 
greater  body  of  water  between  its  shores  than  at  the  present  time. 
All  the  western  lakes,  Superior,  Michigan,  Huron,  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  Eri,  Seneca,  Cayuga,  and  many  lesser  ones,  are  the  mere 
remnants  of  the  great  inland  sea,  which  once  existed  in  this  region, 
and  the  time  may  come,  when  all  these  lakes  will  be  again  drained 
off  to  the  north,  by  the  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  to  the  soutk 
by  other  rivers  to  the  sea,  adding  a  country  of  land  freed  in  a  mea- 
sure from  these  waters,  as  great  in  extent  as  all  the  lakes  put  to- 
gether. 

It  is  believed  by  the  most  observing  naturalists,  that  the  falls  of 
Niagara  were  once  as  low  down  the  river  as  where  Queenstown 
is  situated,  which  is  six  or  eiglit  miles  below  the  fall.     If  so,  the 


I  I 


%. 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


371 


time  may  come,  and  none  can  tell  how  soon,  when  the  falls  shall 
have  worn  through  the  stone  ridge  or  precipice,  over  which  the 
Niagara  is  precipitated,  and  coming  to  a  softer  barrier  of  mere  earth, 
the  power  of  the  waters  would  not  be  long  in  rending  for  itself  a 
more  level  channel,  extending  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  on  an  in- 
clined plane  of  considerable  steepness. 

This  would  eilect  Lake  Erie,  causing  an  increased  current  in  its 
waters,  and  the  lowering  of  its  bed,  which  would  also  have  the 
same  effect  on  Lakes  Michigan,  Huron  and  Superior,  with  all  the 
rest  of  a  lesser  magnitude,  changing  them  from  the  character  they 
now  bear,  which  is  that  of  lakes  to  that  of  mere  rivers,  like  the 
Ohio.  In  the  meantime,  Ontario  would  become  enlarged,  so  as  to 
rise  perhaps  to  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  falls,  which  is  an  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  feet. 

Lake  Ontario  is  but  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the 
city  of  Utica,  and  Utica  is  four  hundred  feet  above  the  valley  of 
the  Hudson  river ;  consequently,  deducting  the  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  which  is  the  fall  of  land,  from  the  long  level,  as  it  is  called, 
on  which  Utica  stands,  to  the  lake,  there  will  be  left  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  elevation  of  Lake  Ontario  above  the  vale  of  the  Hud- 
son. 

That  lake,  therefore,  need  to  be  raised  but  a  little  more  than  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  when  it  would  immediately  inundate  a 
greater  part  of  the  state  of  New- York,  as  well  as  a  part  of  Upper, 
and  all  Lower  Canada,  till  the  waters  should  be  carried  off  by  the 
way  of  the  several  rivers  now  existing  on  the  easterly  and  south- 
erly side  of  the  lake,  and  by  new  channels,  such  a  catastrophe 
would  most  certainly  cut  for  itself,  la  many  directions,  in  its  de- 
scent to  the  Atlantic. 

But  we  trust  such  an  occurrence  may  never  take  place ;  yet  it  is 
equally  possible,  as  was  the  draining  of  the  more  ancient  lakes  of 
the  west.  And  however  secure  the  ancient  inhabitants  may  have 
felt  themselves,who  had  settled  below  the  barriers,  yet  that  inland  sea 
suddenly  took  up  its  line  of  march,  to  wage  war  with,  or  to  become 
united  to,  its  counterpart,  the  Atlantic,  and  in  its  travel  bore  away 
the  country,  and  the  nations  dwelling  thereon. 

It  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted,  but  the  same  effects  were  experi- 
enced by  the  ancient  inhabitants  settled  between  the  Euxine  or 


V   ; 


87a 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES  ' 


Black  sea  and  the  Mediterranean  and  the  whole  coast  of  that  inland 
ocean,  where  its  shores  were  skirted  by  low  countries. 

It  is  siated  by  Euclid,  in  a  conversation  that  philosopher  had 
with  Anaeharsis,  of  whom  we  have  before  spoken  in  this  work, 
that  the  Black  sea  was  once  entirely  surrounded  by  natural  em- 
baukments,  but  that  many  rivers  running  into  it  from  Europe  and 
Asia,  at  length  overflowed  its  barrier,  cutting  for  itself  a  deep  chan- 
nel, tore  out  the  whole  distance  from  its  own  shore  to  that  of  the 
Archipelago,  a  branch  of  the  Mediterranean,  which  is  something 
more  than  a  hundred  miles,  now  called  the  Bosphorus. 

It  is  not  impossible  but  from  the  rush  of  all  these  waters  at  once 
into  the  Mediteirriuean,  that  at  that  time  the  isthmus  which  united 
Europe  and  America,  where  now  in  situated  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar, 
was  then  torn  away.  It  is  true  that  the  ancients  attributed  this 
separation  to  the  power  of  Hercules,  which  circumstance,  though 
we  do  not  believe  in  the  strength  of  this  Grecian  hero,  points  out 
clearly  that  an  isthmus  once  was  there. 

By  examining  the  map  of  the  Black  sea,  we  find  that  beside  the 
outlet  of  the  Bosphorus,  there  is  none  other,  so  that  previous  to  the 
time  of  that  rupture  it  had  no  visible  outlet.  Some  internal  con- 
vulsions, therefore,  must  have  taken  place,  so  that  its  subterranean 
channels  becHme  obstructed,  and  caused  it  at  once  to  overflow  its 
lowest  embankment,  which  it  appears  was  toward  the  Archipelago, 
or  the  west. 

The  Caspian  sea,  in  the  same  country,  has  no  outlet,  though 
many  large  rivers  flow  into  it.  If  therefore  this  body  of  water, 
which  is  nearly  700  miles  long,  and  nearly  300  wide,  were  to  be 
deranged  in  its  subterranean  outlets,  it  would  also  soon  overflow  at 
its  lowest  points,  which  is  also  on  its  western  side,  at  its  southern 
end,  and  rushing  on  between  the  Georgian  or  Coucassian  and  Tau- 
rus mountains,  would  plough  for  itself  a  channel  to  the  Black  sea. 

From  tViis  view,  the  rupturing  of  the  ancient  embankments  of 
lakes  in  Europe,  Asia  and  America,  it  appears  that  the  waters  of 
the  Atlantic  are  now,  of  necessity,  much  deeper  than  anciently  ;  on 
which  account  many  fair  countries  and  large  islands,  once  thickly 
peopled,  and  covered  with  cities,  towns,  and  cultivated  regions,  lie 
now  where  sea  monsters  sport  above  them,  while  whole  tracts  of 
country  once  merged  in  other  parts  of  the  earth  beneath  the  waters, 
have  lifted  hills  and  dales  to  the  light  and  influence  of  the  sun,  and 


•^^ 


■     t 


A5D  OIBCOTr.RIES  IN  THE  WEST. 


873 


spread  out  the  Up  of  happy  countries^  whereon  whole  natioDt  of 
men  now  live,  where  once  the  wind  drove  onward  the  terrific  bil- 
lows. 


CAUSES  OF  THE  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  ANCIENT 

NATIONS. 

But  what  has  finally  become  of  these  nations,  and  where  are 
their  descendants,  are  questions,  which,  could  they  be  answered, 
would  be  highly  gratifying. 

On  opening  a  mound,  below  Wheeling  on  the  Ohio,  a  few  years 
since,  a  stone  was  found,  having  on  it  a  brand  exactly  similar  to 
the  one  commonly  used  by  the  Mexican  nations  in  marking  their 
cattle  and  horses. 

From  this  it  is  evident,  that  the  ancient  nations  were  not  savag- 
es, or  a  trait  of  the  domestication  of  animals  would  not  be  found 
in  the  country,  they  once  inhabited.  The  head  of  the  Sustajases, 
or  Mexican  Hog,  cut  off  square,  was  found  in  a  salt  petre  cave  in 
Kentucky  not  long  since  by  Dr.  Brown.  This  circumstance  is 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Drake,  in  his  "  Picture  of  Cincinnati."  The 
nitre  had  preserved  it.  It  had  been  deposited  there  by  the  ancient 
inhabitants  where  it  must  have  laid  for  ages. 

This  animal  is  not  found,  it  is  said,  north  of  the  Mexican  coun- 
try, the  northern,  line  of  which,  is  about  on  the"  40th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  and  the  presumption  is  that  the  inhabitants  took  these  ani- 
mals along  with  them  in  their  migrations,  until  they  finally  settled 
in  Mexico.  Other  animals,  as  the  Elk,  the  Moose  and  the  Buffa- 
lo were  doubtless  domesticated  by  them,  and  used  for  agricultural 
purposes,  as  the  ox,  the  horse  and  various  other  animals  are  now  in 
use  among  us.  . , 

The  wild  sheep  of  Oregon,  Louisania,  Califormia  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  the  same  found  in  the  north  of  Asia.  May  be  the 
remnants  of  the  flocks  of  that  animal  once  domesticated  all  over 
these  regions,  by  those  people,  and  used  for  food. 

One  means  of  their  disappearance  may  have  been  the  noxious 
efiluvia  which  would  inevitably  arise  from  the  bottoms  of  those 
vast  bodies  of  water,  which  must  have  had  a  pestilential  effect  on 


'^ 


.'•*"■.;; 


374 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIKI 


A 


the  people  liettled  around  ihem.  This  pokition  needs  no  elucida- 
tion, as  it  is  Icnown  that  the  heat  of  the  sun,  in  its  action  on  swamps 
and  marshy  grounds,  fills  the  region  round  them  with  a  deathly 
scent,  acting  directly  on  the  economy  and  constitution  of  the  hu- 
man subject,  while  animals  of  coarser  habits  escape. 

Who  has  not  experienced  this  on  the  sudden  draining  of  stag- 
nant waters,  or  even  those  of  a  mill  pond-  The  reason  is,  the,  filth 
settled  at  the  bottoms  of  such  places,  becomes  exposed  by  having 
the  cover  taken  away,  which  was  the  waters,  and  the  winds  imme- 
diately wafting  the  deleterious  vapours ;  the  surrounding  atmos- 
phere becomes  corrupted ;  disease  follows  with  death  in  its  train. 

But  on  the  sudden  draining  of  so  great  a  body  of  water,  from 
such  immense  tracts  of  land,  which  had  been  accumulating  filth, 
formed  of  decayed  vegetation  and  animals,  from  the  time  of  the 
deluge  till  their  passage  off  at  that  time,  the  stench  must  have 
been  beyond  all  conception,  dreadful. 

Such  is  the  fact  onthe  subsiding  of  the  waters  [of  the  Nile  in 
Egypt,  which,  after  having  overflown  the  whole  valley  of  that  riv- 
er, about  600  miles  in  length,  and  from  15  to  26  in  width,  leaves 
an  insufferable  stench,  and  is  the  true  origin  of  the  plague,  which 
sweeps  to  eternity  annually,  its  thousands  in  that  country. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  impossible,  nor  improbable,  but  by  this  very 
means,  the  ancient  nations  settled  round  these  waters,  may  have, 
indeed,  been  exterminated  ;  or  if  they  were  not  exterminated,  must 
have  been  exceedingly  reduced  in  numbers,  so  as  to  induce  the  re- 
sidue to  flee  from  so  dangerous  a  country,  far  to  the  south,  or  any 
where,  from  the  effects  of  the  dreadful  effluvia,  arising  from  the 
newly  exposed  chasms  and  gulfs. 

Such,  also,  would  be  the  effect  on  the  present  inhabitants,  should 
the  falls  of  Niagara  at  length  undermine  and  wear  down  that  strata 
of  rock  over  which  it  now  plunges,  and  drain  the  lakes  of  the  west, 
the  remnant  of  the  greater  bodies  of  water  which  once  rested  there- 
in the  event  of  such  a  catastrophe,  it  would  he  natural,  that  the 
waters  should  immediately  flow  into  the  head  water  channels  of  all 
the  rivers  northeast  and  south  from  Lake  Ontario,  after  coming  on 
a  level  with  the  heads  of  the  short  streams  passing  into  that  lake  on 
its  easterly  side.      >_,,„,;.   v;„,  „^.it^«v^,.  i^.. 

The  rivers  running  southeast  and  north  from  that  part  of  Lake 
Ontario  as  high  up  as  the  village  of  Lyons,  are  a  part  of  the  Cbe- 


?<■  '■ 


-i 


'  4   - 
^  * 


^      AND   OIRCOVERICS   IN   THE   WEST. 


375 


tnung,  the  Chentogo,  the  Unadilla,  the  Susquehannah,  the  Dela- 
ware, the  Mohawk,  the  Schohatie,  the  Au  Sable^and  the  St.  Law- 
rence, with  all  their  smaller  head  water  .streams- 

The  vallies  of  these  streams  would  become  the  drains  of  such  a 
discharge  of  the  western  lakes,  overwhelming  and  sweeping  away 
all  the  works  of  men  in  those  directions,  as  well  as  in  many  other 
directions,  where  the  lownesa  of  the  country  should  be  favorable 
to  a  rush  of  the  waters,  leaving  isolated  tracts  of  high  lands,  with 
thct  mountains  as  islands,  till  the  work  of  submersion  should  be 
over. 

All  this,  it  is  likely,  will  appear  extremely  visionary,  but  ft  shouTcI 
not  be  forgotten,  that  we  have  predicated  it  on  the  supposed  demo- 
lition of  Niagara  falls,  which  is  as  likely  to  ensue,  as  that  the  bar- 
riers of  the  ancient  lakes  should  have  given  away,  where  the  re- 
spective falls  of  the  rivers  which  issued  from  them,  poured  over 
their  precipices.        ^     ,  . 

"  Whoever  will  examine  all  the  circumstance."!  "  says  Volney, 
"  will  clearly  perceive,  that  at  the  place  where  the  village  of 
Queenstown  now  stands,  the  fall  at  first  commenced,  and  that  the 
river,  by  sawing  down  the  bed  of  the  rock,  ban.  hollowed  out  the 
chasm,  and  countinued  carrying  back  its  breach,  from  age  to  age 
till  it  has  at  length  reached  the  spot  where  the  cascade  now  is. 
There  it  continues  its  secular  labors  with  slow  but  incessant  ac- 
tivity. The  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  country  remember  having 
seen  the  cataract  several  paces  beyond  its  present  place."  The 
frosts  of  winter  have  the  eflfect  continually  of  cracking  the  project- 
ing parts  of  the  strata,  and  the  thaws  of  spring,  with  the  increased 
powers  of  the  augmented  waters,  loosen,  und  tumble  large  blocks 
of  the  rock  into  the  chasm  below- 

Dr.  Barton,  who  examined  the  thickness  of  the  stratum  of  stone^ 
and  estimates  it  at  sixteen  feet,  believes  it  rests  on  that  of  blue 
schist,  which  he  supposes  forms  the  bed  of  the  river,  as  well  as  the 
falls,  up  to  the  Erie.  ''  Some  ages  hence,  if  the  river,  continuing  its 
untiring  operations,  may  cease  to  find  the  calcareous  rock  that  now 
checks  it,  and  finding  a  softer  strata,  the  fall  will  ultimately  arrive 
at  Lake  Erie  ;  and  then  one  of  those  great  desications  will  take 
place,  of  which  the  valleys  of  the  Potomac,  Hudson,  and  Ohio,  af- 
ford instances  in  times  past" 


^■. 


,.*:** 


'^r^ 


V     * 


376 


AMERICAN  ANTiqUITIEi      J*      '^ 


>;."• 

!"■'»,    '    '    - 

V"  •■ 

':^::^-M:: 

•    i 

- 

LAKE  ONTARIO  FORMED  BY  A  VOLCANO, 


Though  the  northern  parts  of  America  have  been  known  to  us 
but  about  two  centuries,  yet  this  interval,  short  as  it  is  in  the  an- 
nals of  nature,  has  already,  says  Yolney,  been  sufficient  to  convince 
us,  by  numerous  examples,  that  earthquakes  roust  have  been  fre- 
quent and  violent  here,  in  times  past.  And  that  they  have  been 
the  principal  causa  of  the  derangements  of  which  the  Atlantic  coast 
presents  such  general  and  striking  marks. 

To  go  back  no  farther  than  the  3'ear  1628,  the  time  of  the  arri- 
val of  the  first  English  settlers,  and  end  with  1782,  a  lapse  of  154 
years,  in  which  time  there  occurred  no  less  than  forty-five  earth- 
quakes. These  were  always  preceded  by  a  noise  resembling  that 
of  a  violent  wind,  or  of  a  chimney  on  fire ;  they  often  threw  down 
chimnies,  sometimes  even  houses,  and  burst  open  doors  and  win- 
dows ;  suddenly  dried  up  wells,  and  even  several  brooks  and 
streams  of  water ;  imparting  to  the  waters  a  turbid  color,  and  the 
'  foetied  smell  of  liver  of  sulphur,  throwing  up  out  of  great  chinks, 
sand  with  a  similar  smell.  The  shocks  of  these  earthquakes  seem- 
ed to  proceed  from  an  internal  focus,  which  raised  the  earth  up  from 
below,  the  principal- line  of  which  run  northeast  and  southwest, 
following  the  course  of  the  River  Merrimack,  extending  southward 
to  the  Potomac,  and  northward  beyond  the  St.  Lawrence,  particu- 
larly affecting  the  direction  of  Lake  Ontario.  .  '^^  "ij^  • 

Respecting  these  earthquakes,  Yolney  says,  he  was  ind'e1)tea  to 
a  work  written  by  a  Mr.  Williams,  from  whose  curious  researches 
he  had  derived  the  most  authentic  records.  But  the  language  and 
phrases  he  employs  are  remarkable,  says  Mr.  Yolney,  for  the  analo- 
gy they  bear  to  local  facts,  noticed  by  himself,  respecting  the  ap- 
pearance of  schists  on  the  shores  of  Lake  fiue ;  and  about  the  falls 
of  Niagara ;  and  by  Dr.  Barton,  who  supposed  it  to  form  the  bed 
on  which  the  rock  of  the  falls  rests. 

He  quotes  him  as  follows : — "  Did  not  that  smell  of  liver  sulphur, 
imparted  to  the  water  and  sand  vomited  up  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  through  great  chinks,  originate  from  the  stratoqi  of  schist 
which  we  found  at  Niagara,  beneath  the  limestone,  and  which 


4 


><*. 


1^0; 


^*^^>.'     :" 


^./ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   ttlE    tVEST. 


377 


\wWn  silbmitted  to  the  action  of  fire,  emits  a  strong  smell  of  sul- 
phur ?" 

It  is  true,  says  Volney,  that  this  is  but  one  of  the  elements  of 
the  substance  mentioned,  composing  schist,  but  an  accurate  analysis 
might  detect  the  other.  This  stratum  of  schist  is  found  under  the 
bed  of  the  Hudson,  and  appears  in  many  places  in  the  States  of 
New- York  and  Pennsylvania,  among  the  sand  stones  and  granites ; 
and  we  have  reason  to  presume  that  it  exists  round  Lake  Ontario 
and  beneath  Lake  Erie,  and  consequently,  that  it  forms  one  of  the 
floors  of  the  country,  in  which  was  the  principal  focus  of  the  earth-^ 
quakes  mentioned  by  Mr.  Williams. 

The  line  of  this  focus  running  northwest  and  southeast,  particu- 
larly affected  the  direction  of  the  Atlantic  to  Lake  Ontario.  This 
predilection  is  remarkable,  on  account  of  the  singular  structure  of 
this  lake,  "^he  rest  of  the  western  lakes,  notwithstanding  their 
magnitude,  i.^ve  no  great  depth.  Lake  Erie  no  where  exceeds  a 
hundred  or  a  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  the  bottom  of  Lake  Su- 
perior is  visible  in  many  places.  '      ■  ^  •'  '  '.         vti  k 

The  Ontario  on  the  contrary  is  in  general,  very  deep  ;  thai  is  to 
say,  upwards  of  forty-five  or  fifty  fathoms,  three  hundred  feet,  and 
80  on  ;  and  in  considerable  extent,  no  bottom  could  be  found  with 
a  line  of  a  hundred  and  ten  fathoms,  which  is  a  fractior;  less  than 
forty  rods  iu  depth. 

This  is  the  case  in  some  places  near  its  shores,  and  these  circum- 
stances pretty  clearly  indicate  that  the  basin  of  this  lake  was  once 
the  crator  of  a  volcano  now  extinct.  This  inference  is  confirmed 
by  the  volcanic  productions  already  found  on  its  borders,  and  no 
doubt,  the  experinced  eye  will  discover  many  more,  by  examining 
the  form  of  the  great  talus  or  slope,  that  surrounds  ^this  lake  al- 
most circularly,  and  announces  in  all  parts,  to  the  eye  as  well  as 
to  the  understanding,  that  formerely  the  flat  of  Niagara  extended 
almost  as  far  as  the  middle  of  lake  Ontario,  where  it  was  sunk 
and  swallowed  up  by  the  action  of  a  volcano,  then  iu  its  vigor. 

The  existence  of  this  subterranean  fire,  accords  perfectly  with 
the  earthquakes  mentioned  by  Williams,  as  above,  and  these  two 
agents  which  we  find  here  united,  while  they  confirm,  on  the  one 
hand,  that  of  a  grand  subterranean  focus,  at  an  unknown  depth,  on 
the  other,  aflbrd  a  haonv  and  olausible  exnlanation  of  the  confiisinn 
of  all  the  strata  of  the  earth  and  stones,  which  occurs  throughout 

48 


378 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


the  Atlantic  coast.  It  explains  too,  why  the  calcarious  and  even 
granite  strata  there,  are  inclined  to  the  horizon  in  angles  of  forty- 
five  degrees  and  upward,  even  as  far  as  eighty,  almost  perpendicu- 
lar, or  endwise,  their  iiHgments  remaining  in  the  vacuities  formed 
by  the  va-t  explosions.  To  this  fracture  of  the  stratum  of  granite 
ftre  owing  its  little  cascades ;  and  this  fact  indicates,  that  formerly 
the  focus  extended  south  beyond  the  Potomac,  as  also  does  this  stra- 
tum. No  doubt  it  communicated  with  that  of  the  West  India 
islands. 

As  favouring  this  supposition  by  Monsieur  Volney,  we  recollect 
the  dreadful  earthquake  of  1811  and  1812,  on  the  Mississippi,  in 
the  very  neighborhood  of  the  country  supposed  to  have  been  ■  the 
scene  of  the  effects  of  those  early  shocks,  of  probably  the  same  in- 
ternal cause,  working  now  beneath  the  continent,  and  sooner  or  la- 
ter may  make  again  the  northern  parts  of  it,  its  place  of  vengeance 
instead  of  the  more  southerly,  as  among  the  Andes,  and  the  Cor- 
dilleras, of  South  America. 

The  earthquakes  of  1811  and  1812  took  place  at  New  Madrid 
on  the  Mississippi,  where  its  efiiicts  were  dreadful,  having  thrown 
up  vast  heaps  of  earth,  destroying  the  whole  plain  upon  which 
that  town  was  laid  out.  Houses,  gardens,  and  the  fields  were 
swallowed  up  ;  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  forced  to  flee,  expo- 
sed to  the  horrors  of  the  scenes  passing  around,  and  to  the  incle« 
mencies  of  the  storms,  without  shelter  or  protection.  The  earth 
rolled  under  their  feet  like  the  waves  of  the  sea.  The  shocks  of 
this  subterranean  convulsion  were  felt  two  hundred  miles  around. 
I  And  further,  in  evidence  of  action  of  the  volcanic  fires  in  the 
west  of  this  country,  we  have  the  following,  from  Dr.  Beck's 
Oazeteer  of  Illinois ;  "  I  visited  Fort  Clarke  in  1&20,  and  obtained 
a  specimen  of  native  copper  In  its  vicinity.  It  weighed  about  two 
pounds,  and  is  similar  to  that  found  on  Lake  Superior,  of  which 
the  following  description  was  given  at  that  mint  of  Utrecht  in  the 
Netherlands,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Eustis.  From  every  appearance, 
diat  piece  of  copper  seems  to  have  been  taken  from  a  mass  that 
had  undergone  fusion.  The  melting  was,  however,  not  an  opera- 
tion of  art,  but  a  natural  effect,  caused  by  a  volcanic  eruption. 

The  stream  of  lava  probably  carried,  in  its  course,  the  aforesaid 
body  of  copper,  that  had  formed  into  one  collection  as  fast  as  it  was 
heated  enough  to  run  from  all  parts  of  the  mine.    The  united  maM 


,.^i 


^A»,,..  ■  ,^ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   TVEST. 


379 


was,  probably,  borne  in  this  manner  to  the  place  where  it  now  rests 
in  the  soil.  Thus  we  see  that  even  America,  in  its  northern  parts, 
as  well  as  many  parts  of  the  old  world,  as  it  is  called,  has  felt  the 
shock  of  that  engine,  which  is,  comparatively  speaking,  boundless 
in  power,  capable  of  new  modling  the  lace  of  whole  tracts  of  coun- 
try, in  a  few  days,  if  it  not  hours.  * 

That  many  parts  of  the  western  country  have  once  been  the 
scene  of  the  devastating  power  of  volcanos,  is  also  maintained  by 
that  distinguished  philosopher,  Rafinesque — Ste  Atlantic  Journal 
No.  4,  p.  138,  1832. 

He  says,  "  The  great  geological  question  of  the  igneous  or 
aqueous  origin  of  the  globe,  and  the  primitiA^e  formation  is  now 
pretty  much  at  rest.  It  is  become  more  important  to  ascertain  the 
origin  of  the  secondary  formations,  with  their  immense  stores  of  life 
and  organic  remains,  therein  entombed." 

"  No  one  can  be  a  good  geologist  without  having  seen  volcanos, 
or  at  least  without  having  studied  ..ell,  their  actual  operations 
throughout  the  globe.  After  seeing  the  huge  volcanos  of  South 
America,  throwing  yet,  streams  of  water,  mud,  clay,  sand,  marl, 
bitumite  pichstone,  &c.,  instead  of  melted  stones,  while  the  same 
happens  also  in  Java,  Spain,  Sicily  and  Russia." 

If  by  this  agent,  water  being  thrown  out  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  so  as  to  change  the  entire  surface  of  large  districts  in  many 
parts  of  the  old  world,  why  not  in  America  if  the  tokens  of  such 
operations  are  found  here. 

Volney  was  the  first  to  call  Lake  Ontario  a  volcano !  and  to  no- 
tice our  ancient  mountain  lakes,  now  dried  up  by  eruptions  or  con- 
vulsions, each  having  a  breach  or  water  gap.  I  am  induced  to 
amplify  his  views,  by  deeming  nearly  all  our  lakes  as  many  vol- 
canic outlets,  which  have  not  merely  thrown  waters  in  later  peri- 
ods, but  in  more  ancient  periods  have  formed  nearly  all  our  second- 
ary strata,  by  eruptions  of  muddy  water,  mud,  clay,  liquid  coal, 
basalts,  trap.  This  was  when  the  ocean  covered  yet  the  land- 
Submarine  or  oceanic  volcanoes  exist  as  yet  every  where  in  the 
ocean,  and  their  effects  are  known.  They  must  of  course  be  hol- 
low outlets  under  water,  that  would  become  lakes  if  the  ocean  was 
dried  up.  We  can  form  an  idea  of  their  large  number  and  extent 
by  the  late  but  natural  discovery,  that  all  the  Lagoon  islands,  and 
circular  clusters  of  islands  in  the  Atlantic,  Pacific  and   Indian 


MK^  AMF.KICAN    ANTIQUITIKS 

oceans,  are  volcanic  craters!  This  is  now  nilmiiled,  even  in  Eng- 
land, and  the  coral  reef  often  crowning  those  clusters  iire  later  su- 
perincumbent formations  by  insects.  The  Bahama  islands  in  the 
Atlantic,  the  Maldives  near  India,  and  the  coral  islands  all  over  the 
Pacific,  are  the  most  strikir-g  of  these  singular  volcanic  clusters, 
nearly  at  a  tevel  with  the  ocean.  Some  of  them  are  of  immense 
extent,  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  circuit,  or  even 
more. 

Some  circular  bays  and  gulfs  of  the  sea  appear  to  be  similar,  dif- 
fering by  having  only  one  breach.  The  bay  of  Naples  is  one  also, 
an  ancient  crater,  with  islands  in  front.  ,  >• , 

The  analogy  between  lakes  and  volcanic  (traters  is  obvious.  Al- 
most all  fiery  craters  become  lakes  filled  with  water,  when  their 
igneous  activity  is  spent. 

All  springs  are  smaller  outlets  of  water,  while  the  fumaroles  and 
holes  of  igneous  volcanoes  are  small  outlets  of  smoke,  fire,  air, 
gazes,  hot  mud,  &c.  I  can  perceive  no  essential  difference  be-- 
tween  them  or  any  other  eruptive  basin,  except  in  the  degree  of 
caloric  or  kind  of  matter  which  they  emit.  They  may  both  be 
quiescr  t  or  in  activity.  Sjuiiiffs  \ary  as  much  as  volcanoes. 
We  have  few  pure  springs  ;  tin  y  commonly  hold  mineral  substan- 
stances;  they  are  cold,  warm,  hot,  salt,  bitter,  saline,  bitumnious, 
limpid,  colored,  muddy  ;  perpetual  or  ]h  riodical,  flowing  or  .ipont- 
ing.     Just  like  volcanic  outlets. 

Therefore  volcanoes  are  properly  igneous  springs,  and  springs  c; 
lakes  are  aqueoui  volcanoes  ! 

Under  this  view,  we  have  no,  lack  of  volcanic  outlets  iu  North 
America,  since  one  half  of  it,  the  whole  boreal  portion,  from  New- 
England  and  Labrador  in  the  east,  to  North  Oregon  and  Alaska  in 
the  west,  and  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  boreal  ocean,  is  filled  with 
them,  being  emiently  a  region  of  lakes  and  springs ;  covered  with 
ten  thousand  lakes  at  least. 

To  these  as  well  as  to  the  dry  lakes  of  our  mountains,  the  lime- 
stone craters  and  sinks — may  be  traced  as  the  original  cutlets  of 
our  secondary  formHtlons,  in  a  liquid  statv>  under  the  ocean,  im- 
bedding our  fossils.  The  basaltic,  trapic  and  carbonic  formations 
have  the  same  origin,  since  they  are  intermingled.  But  some  kind.s 
of  sands  and  clays  have  been  ejected  since  this  continent  becanic 
4ry  land. 


AND    DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WRST- 


381 


To  trace  all  these  formations  to  their  sources,  deliDeate  their 
streams  or  banks,  fti^  certain  their  ages  and  ravage  on  organized  be- 
ings, will  require  time,  assiduity,  zeal,  and  accurate  observations. 

What  connection  there  is  between  lakes  or  dry  basins  of  primi- 
tive regions  and  their  formations,  is  not  well  ascertained.  Some 
are  evidently  the  produce  of  crystalizatioh ;  but  others  forming 
streams,  veins,  banks  and  ridges  may  have  been  ejected  in  a  fluid 
or  soft  state,  before  organic  life  had  begun,  and  thus  spread  into 
their  actual  shapes.  Many  streams  of  primitive  lime-stone,  anthra- 
cite, wake,  grit — are  probably  so  formed  and  expanded.  Hollows 
in  the  primitive  ocean  must  have  been  the  outlets  of  these  sub- 
stances, now  become  lakes,  after  the  land  became  dry. 

The  power  which  rises  and  ejects  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
watery,  muddy  and  solid  substances,  either  cold  or  inflamed,  is  one 
of  the  secrets  of  nature ;  but  we  know  that  such  a  power  or  cause 
exists,  since  we  see  it  in  operation.  Water  rises  in  lakes  and 
springs  much  above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  while  the  Caspian  sea 
is  under  that  level.  There  is  then  no  uniform  level  for  water  on 
the  globe,  nor  uniform  aerial  pressure  over  them.  Another  cause 
operates  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth  to  generate  and  expel  li- 
quid and  solid  substances, — perhaps  many  causes  and  powers  are 
combined  there.  Galvanism  is  probably  one  of  the  main  agents. 
A  living  power  of  organic  circulation,  would  explain  many  earthly 
phenomena. 

The  great  astronomer  Kepler,  and  other  philosophers,  surmised 
that  the  earth  was  a  great  living  body,  a  kind  of  organized  animal 
rolling  in  space.  According  to  this  theory,  lakes  and  springs 
would  be  the  outward  pores,  vents  and  outlets  of  this  huge  being, 
volcanoes  inflamed  sores  and  exuvia,  water  the  blood  or  sap  of  the 
earth,  mountains  the  ribs,  rivers  the  veins.  This  whimsical  con- 
ceit is  not  preposterous,  since  we  know  of  animals  perfectly  glo-. 
bular,  and  somewhat  like  our  globe — the  tethya  and  volvox  for  in- 
stance. But  it  is  only  a  theoretical  surmise,  I  merely  mention  it 
as  an  illustration,  and  the  conception  of  some  great  minds ;  perhaps 
a  more  rational  idea  than  the  theories  deeming  this  globe  a  mass  of 
inert  matter,  a  globular  crystal,  or  a  hollow  sphere  suspended  in 
space,  or  a  rolling  ball  whirling  round  the  sun. 
Considering,  therefore,  the  omnipotency  of  the  two  agents,  fire 


<!f 


tnific  uliXJ*' 


r«*ri««4   tf^Vtn*^ 


3iSI 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


ges  of  surface  and  of  inhabitants  may  not  have  taken  place  in  the 
western  regions,  as  well  as  in  the  other  parts  of  America. 

We  cannot  close  this  subject  better  than  by  introducing  an  Ara- 
bian fable,  styled  the  Revolutions  of  Time.  The  narrator  is  sup- 
posed to  have  lived  three  thousand  years  on  the  earth,  and  to  have 
travelled  much  in  the  course  of  his  life,  and  to  have  noted  down  the 
various  changes  which  took  place  with  respect  to  the  surface  of  the 
globe  in  many  places,  and  to  have  been  conversant  with  the  vari- 
ous generations  of  men  that  succeeded  each  othhr. 

This  fable  we  consider  illustrative  of  the  antiquities  of  all  coun- 
tries, as  well  as  of  the  changes  which  have  most  certainly  taken 
pl^ce  in  our  own,  as  it  relates  to  surface  and  inhabitants.  The' 
name  of  the  traveller  was  Khidr,  and  his  story  is  as  follows : 
\  I  was  passing,  says  Khidr,  a  populous  city,  and  I  asked  one  of 
the  inhabitants,  "  How  long  has  this  city  been  built  ?"  But  he  said, 
*'  This  city  is  an  ancient  city ;  we  know  not  at  what  time  it  was 
built ;  neither  we  nor  our  fathers." 

4  Then  I  passed  by  after  five  hundred  years,  and  not  a  trace  of  the 
city  was  to  be  seen  ;  but  I  found  a  man  gathering  herbs,  and  I  ask- 
ed him,  *'  How  long  has  this  city  been  destroyed  ?"  But  he  said, 
"  The  country  has  always  been  thus."  And  I  said,  "  But  there 
was  a  city  here."  Then  he  said,  "  We  have  seen  no  city  here, 
nor  have  we  heard  of  such  from  our  farthers." 

After  five  hundred  years,  I  again  passed  that  way,  and  found  a 
lake,  and  met  there  a  company  of  fishermen,  and  asked  them, 
"  When  did  this  land  become  a  lake  ?"  And  they  said,  "  How  can 
a  man  like  you  ask  such  a  question .''  The  place  was  never  other 
than  it  is."  "  But  heretofore,"  said  I,  "  it  was  dry  land."  And 
they  said,  "  We  never  saw  it  so,  nor  heard  of  it  from  our  fathers." 

Then  after  five  hundred  years,  I  returned,  and  behold,  the  lake 
was  dried  up ;  and  I  met  a  solitary  man,  and  said  to  him,  "  When 
did  this  spot  become  dry  land .'"  And  he  said,  "  It  wa^j  always 
thus."  "  But  formerly,"  I  said,  "  it  was  a  lake."  And  he  said, 
"  We  never  say  it,  aor  heard  of  it  before." 

And  five  hundred  years  afterwards  I  again  passed  by,  and  again 
found  a  populous  and  beautiful  city,  and  finer  than  I  had  at  first 
seen  it ;  and  I  asked  one  of  the  inhabitants,  "  When  was  this  city 
built  ?"  And  he  said,  "  Truly  it  is  an  ancient  place,  and  we  know 
not  the  date  of  its  building,  neither  we  nor  our  fathers." 


'■>';ff- 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE  WESf. 


888 


The  human  race  has  every  where  experienced  terrible  revolu- 
tions. Pestilence,  wars  and  the  convulsions  of  the  globe,  have  an- 
nihilated the  proudest  worlcs,  and  rendered  vain  the  noblest  efforts 
of  man.  '—  -         -^    ■        '-  "'■.    ''^  ■•      '''"'  ^'^i-^iv' / 

''  Ask  not  the  sage,  when  and  by  whom  were  erected  those  lin- 
gering ruins  of  the  west,  the  imperishable  memorials  of  ages,  long 
since  swallowed  up  in  the  ocean  of  time  ;  ask  not  the  wild  Arab 
where  may  be  found  the  owner  of  the  superb  palace,  within  whose 
broken  walls  he  casts  his  tent ;  ask  not  the  poor  fisherman,  as  he 
spreads  his  nets,  or  the  ploughman,  who  whistles  over  the  fields, 
where  is  Carthage  ?  where  is  Troy  ?  of  whose  splendor  historians 
and  poets  have  so  much  boasted !  Alas !  they  have  vanished  from 
the  things  that  be  and  have  left  b  it  the  melancholy  lesson  of  the 
instability  of  the  most  stupendous  labors  of  our  race.''       ^-.^^yj- 


tM 


n 


RESEMBLANCE  OF  THE  WESTERN  INDIANS  TO  THE 
ANCIENT  GREEKS.  '  ,,,* 

The  reader  may  recollect  we  have  shown  on  page  44,  that  the 
Greek  fleet  once  moored  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  in  South  Americai 
said  to  be  the  fleet  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  also  the  supposed 
Greek  carving,  or  sculpture,  in  the  cave  on  the  Ohio  river.  Set 
page  liO. 

In  addition,  we  give  from  Mr.  Volney's  View  of  America,  his 
comparison  of  the  ancient  Greek  tribes  with  the  tribes  of  the  west- 
ern Indians.  He  says  the  limits  of  his  work  would  not  allow  him 
to  enter  into  all  the  minuteB  of  this  interesting  subject ;  and,  there- 
fore, should  content  himself  with  saying,  that  the  more  deeply  we 
examine  the  history  and  way  of  savage  life,  the  more  ideas  we  ac- 
quire that  illustrate  the  nature  of  man  in  general,  the  gradual  form- 
ation of  societies^  and  the  character  and  manners  of  the  nations  of 
antiquity. 

While  this  author  was  among  the  Indians  of  the  west,  he  was 
particularly  struck  with  the  analogy  between  the  ssvages  of  North 
America  and  the  so  much  vaunted  ancient  nations  of  Greece  and 


Italy. 


In  the  Greeks  of  Homci,  particulanjr  lu  iuwac  vi  ms 


.1.. 


ih 


»P  Ui 


Tllfid 


384 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


he  found  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  Iroquois,  Delawares,  and 
Miamis,  strikingly  exemplified.  The  tragadies  of  Sophocles  and 
Euripides,  paint  almost  literally  the  sentiments  of  the  red  men  re- 
specting necessity,  fatality,  the  miseries  of  human  life,  and  the  rigor 
of  blind  destiny.  But  the  piece  most  remarlcable  for  variety, 
combination  of  features  and  resemblance,  is  the  beginning  of  the 
history  of  Thucydides,  in  which  he  briefly  traces  the  habits  and 
way  of  life  of  the  Greeks,  before  and  after  the  Trojan  war,  up  to 
the  age  in  which  ha  wrote.  This  fragment  of  their  history  appears 
80  well  adapted,  that  we  are  persuaded  the  reader  will  be  pleased 
at  having  it  laid  before  him,  so  that  he  can  make  the  comparison 
for  himself. 

"  It  is  certain  that  the  region  now  known  by  the  name  of  Greece, 
Was  not  formerly  possessed  by  any  fixed  inhabitants,  but  was  sub- 
ject to  frequent  migrations,  as  constantly  every  distinct  people  or 
tribe  yielded  up  their  seats  to  the  yiolence  of  a  larger  supervening 
number.  For,  as  to  commerce,  there  was  none,  and  mutual  fear 
prevented  intercourse  both  by  land  and  sea ;  as  then  the  only  view  of 
culture  was  barely  to  procure  a  penurious  siibsistance,  as  superfluous 
wealth  was  a  thing  unkown." 

"  Planting  was  not  their  employment,  it  being  uncertain  how  soon 
an  invader  might  come  and  dislodge  them  from  their  unfortified  ha- 
bitations ;  and  as  they  thought  they  might  every  where  find  their 
daily  support,  they  hesitated  but  liHle  about  shifting  their  habita- 
tions. And  for  this  reason  they-  never  flourished  in  the  greatness 
of  their  cities,  or  any  other  circumstance  of  power.  But  the  rich- 
est tracts  of  country  were  ever  more  particularly  liable  to  this  fre- 
quent change  of  inhabitants,  such  as  that  now  called  Thessaly  and 
Boeotia,  and  Peloponnesus  chiefly,  except  Arcadia,  and  in  general 
the  most  fertile  parts  of  Greece.  For  the  natural  wealth  of  their 
swl,  in  particular  districts,  increased  the  power  of  some  amongst 
them ;  that  power  raised  civil  dissentions,  which  ended  in  their 
ruin,  and  at  the  same  time  exposed  them  the  more  to  foreign  at- 
tacks." 

It  was  only  the  barrenness  of  the  soil,  that  preseived  Attica 
through  the  longest  space  of  time,  quiet  and  undisturbed,  in  one 
uninterrupted  series  of  possessors.  One,  and  not  the  least,  convinc- 
ing proof  of  this  is,tliat  other  parts  of  Greece,  because  of  the  fluc- 
tuating condition  of  the  inhabitants,  could,  by  no  means,  in  theii 


% 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE    WCSt. 


385 


gtowth  keep  pace  with  Atticti.  The  most  powerful  of  those  who 
were  driven  from  the  other  parts  of  Greece,  by  war  or  sedition,  be- 
took themselves  to  the  Athenians  for  secure  refuge,  and  as  they  ob- 
tained the  privilege  of  citizens,  have  constantly,  from  remote  time, 
continued  to  enlarge  that  city  with  fresh  accessions  of  inhabitants ; 
insomuch,  thai,  at  last,  Attica,  being  insufficient  to  support  its  num- 
bers, they  sent  over  colonies  to  Ionia. 

The  custom  of  wearing  weapons,  once  prevailed  all  over  Greece, 
as  their  houses  had  no  manner  of  defence,  as  travelling  was  full  ot 
hazard,  and  their  whole  lives  were  passed  in  armour,  like  barba- 
rians. A  proof  of  this,  is  the  continuance  still,  in  some  parts  of 
^BTfeece,  of  those  manneis  which  were  once,  with  uniformity,  com- 
mon to  all.  The  Athenians  were  the  first  who  discontinued  the 
custom  of  wearing  their  swords,  and  who  passed  from  the  savage 
life  into  more  polite  and  elegant  manners.  Sparta  is  not  closely 
built ;  the  temples  and  public  edifices  by  no  means  sumptuous,  and 
the  hou.ses  detached  fiom  each  other,  after  the  old  mode  of  Greece. 

In  their  war  manners  they  resembled  the  Indians  of  America,  for 
after  a  certain  engagement  they  had  with  an  enemyj  and  being  victo- 
rious, they  erected  a  trophy  upon  Leucinna,  a  promontory  of  Cor- 
cyra,  and  put  to  death  all  the  prisonners  they  had  taken,  except 
one,  who  was  a  Corinthian.  «  •, 

The  pretended  golden  age  of  those  nations  was  nothing  bettef 
than  to  wander  naked  in  the  forests  of  Hellas  and  Thessaly,  living 
ou  herbs  and  acorns  ;  by  which  we  perceive  that  the  ancient  Greeks 
were  (:ruly  savages  of  the  same  kind  as  those  in  America,  and  plac- 
ed in  nearly  similar  circumstances  of  climate,  since  Greece  cover- 
ed with  forests,  was  then  much  colder  than  at  pi'eseut.  Hence  we 
infer,  that  the  name  of  t*elasgian,  believed  to  belong  to  one  and 
the  same  people,  wandering  and  dispersed  about  from  the  Crimea 
to  the  Alps,  was  only  the  generic  appellation  of  the  savage  hordes 
of  the  first  inhabitants,  roaming  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Hurons 
and  Algoaquins,  or  as  the  old  Germans  and  Celts. 

And  we  should  presume,  with  reason,  that  colonies  of  foreigners, 
farther  advanced  in  civilization,  coming  from  the  coasts  of  Asia, 
Phoenicia,  and  even  Egypt,  and  settling  on  those  of  Greece  and 
Latium,  had  nearly  the  same  kind  of  intercourse  with  these  abori- 
gines ;  sometimes  friendly,  sometimes  hostile ;  as  the  first  English 

49 


-^W'f/'''.''"^''""      '"•*» ' 


388 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


settlers  in  Virginia  and  New-England  had  with  the  American  sa- 
vages. 

By  these  comparisons  we  should  explain  hoth  the  intermixture 
and  disappearance  of  some  of  those  nations,  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  those  inhospitable  times,  when  every  stranger  was  an  ene- 
my, and  every  robber  a  hero  ;  when  there  was  no  law  but  force, 
no  virtue  but  bravery  in  war  ;  when  every  tribe  was  a  nation,  and 
every  assemblage  of  huts  a  metropolis. 

In  this  period  of  anarchy  and  disorder,  of  savage  life,  we  should 
see  the  origin  of  that  character  of  pride  and  boasting,  perfidiousness 
and  cruelty,  dissimulation  and  injustice,  sedition  and  tyranny,  that 
the  Greeks  display  throughout  the  whole  course  of  their  history. ; 
we  should  perceive  the  source  of  those  false  ideas  of  virtue  and 
glory,  sanctioned  by  the  poets  and  orators  of  those  ferocious  days ; 
who  have  made  war  and  its  i^elancholy  trophies,  the  loftiest  aim 
of  man's  ambition,  the  most  shining  road  to  renown,  and  the  most 
dazzling  object  of  ambition  to  the  ignorant  and  cheated  multitude  : 
And  since  the  polished  and  civilized  people  of  Christendom  have 
made  a  point  of  imitating  these  nations,  and  consider  their  poli- 
tics and  morals,  like  their  poetry  and  arts,  the  types  of  all  per- 
fection ;  it  follows  that  our  homage,  our  patronage,  and  veneration, 
are  addressed  to  the  manners  and  spirit  of  barbarous  and  savage 
times.        '■■'.' 

The  grounds  of  comparison  are  so  true,  that  the  analogy  reaches 
even  to  their  philosophical  and  religious  opinions  ;  for  all  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  stoic  school  of  the  Greeks  are  found  in  the  practice  of 
the  American  savages  ;  and  if  any  should  lay  hold  of  this  circum- 
stance to  impute  to^the  savages  the  merit  of  being  philosophers,  -we 
retort  the  supposition,  and  say,  we  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  con- 
clude, that  a  state  of  society,  in  which  precepts  so  repugnant  to  hu- 
man nature  were  invented  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  life  support- 
eble>  must  have  been  an  order  of  things,  and  of  government,  not 
less  miserable  than  the  savage  state.  This  opinion  is  supported  by 
the  v/hole  history  of  these  Grecian  times,  even  in  their  most  bril- 
liant periods,  and  by  the  uninterrupted  series  of  their  own  wars,  se- 
ditions, massacres,  and  tyrannical  proscriptions,  down  to  the  time  of 
their  subjugation  by  those  other  savages  of  Italy,  called  the  Romans; 
who,  in  their  character,  politics,  and  aggrandizement,  have  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  the  Six  Nations. 


f  / 


AND  DISCOVERIES   IN  THE    WEST. 

With  regard  to  religious  notions,  these  do  not  form  a  regular  sys- 
tem among  the  savages,  becausu  every  individual  in  bis  indepen- 
dent state,  makes  himself  a  creed  after  his  own  fancy.  If  we  may 
judge  from  the  accounts  of  the  historians  of  the  first  settlers,  and 
those  of  late  travellers  in  the  northwest,  it  appears  that  the  ludiani 
compose  their  mythology  in  the  following  manner  : 

First  :  a  Great  Mauitou,  or  superior  being ;  who  governs  the 
earth  and  the  aerial  meteors,  the  visible  whole  of  which  constitutes 
the  universe  of  a  savage.  This  Great  Mauitou,  residing  on  high, 
ivithout  his  having  any  clear  idea  where,  rules  the  world,  without 
giving  himself  much  trouble ;  sends  rain,  wiud,  or  fair  weather, 
according  to  his  fancy  ;  sometimes  makes  a  noise,  which  is  the 
thunder,  to  amuse  himself;  concerns  himself  as  little  about  the  af- 
fairs of  men  as  about  those  of  other  living  beings  that  people  the 
earth;  does  good,  without  taking  any  thought  about  it ;  suffers  ill 
to  be  perpetrated  without  its  disturbing  his  repose,  and  in  the  mean 
time,  leaves  the  world  to  a  destiny,  or  fatality,  the  laws  of  which 
are  anterior,  and  paramount,  to  all  t!>:ng8. 

Under  his  command  are  subordinate  Manitous,or  genii,  innume- 
rable, who  people  earth  and  air,  preside  over  every  thing  that  hap- 
pens, and  have  each  a  separate  employment.  Of  these  genii,  some 
are  good  ;  and  these  do  all  the  good  that  takes  place  in  nature ; 
others  are  bad,  and  these  occasion  all  the  evil  that  happens  to  liv- 
ing beings. 

It  is  to  the  latter  chiefly,  and  almost  exclusively,  that  t'le  savages 
address  their  prayers,  their  propitiatory  offerings,  and  what  religious 
worship  they  have  ;  the  object  of  which  is,  to  appease  the  malice 
of  these  Manitous,  as  men  appease  the  ill  humour  of  morose,  bad 
men.  This  fear  of  genii  is  one  of  their  most  habitual  thought,  and 
that  by  which  they  are  most  tormented.  Their  most  intrepid  war- 
riors are,  in  this  respect,  no  better  than  their  women  ;  a  dream,  a 
phantom  seen  at  night  in  the  woods,  or  a  sinister  cry,  equally  alarms 
their  credulous,  superstitious  minds.  *  "   •■■ 

Their  magicians,  or,  as  we  more  properly  call  them,  jugglers, 
pretend  to  very  familiar  intercourse  with  these  genii ;  they  are, 
however,  greatly  puzzled  to  explain  their  nature,  form,  and  aspect. 
Not  having  our  ideas  of  pure  spirii,  they  suppose  them  to  be  com- 
posed of  substances,  yet  light,  volatile,  and  invisible,  true  shadows 
and  roftpes,  after  the  panner  of  the  ancients,     Sometimea  ihey  se* 


flflft 


AMF.RICAN    ANTIQUITIF.S 


km;^. 


!»■<  (  norae  one  of  tht'so  genii,  whom  ihey  Niipposo  (o  reside  in  ft  tree, 
a  0erpe«t,  a  rock,  a  cataract,  nnd  tliin  they  in«ke  their  fotih,  or 
god,  to  whi'-h  they  resort,  hke  the  African.  'Dw  notion  of  an- 
other life  is  a  pretty  general  behef  anionf>  the  Nnvii^^es.  'J'hey  im- 
agine that  after  death  tliey  shall  go  into  another  climate  and  conn- 
try,  w  hf're  game  and  fish  abonnd,  where  they  can  hnnt  without  be- 
ing fahg'  Td,  walk  about  without  fear  of  nn  enemy,  eat  very  fat  meat, 
and  live  without  care  or  trouble.  The  Indians  of  the  north,  plarw 
this  clinaate  toward  the  southwest,  because  tlie  summer  winds,  an  1 
the  most  pleasing  and  genial  Irntperature,  come  from  that  (pi  .  '. 

This  sketch  of  Indian  manners,  is  supposed  sutlicie/.i  by  Mr. 
Volney,  to  prove  that  there  is  a  real  analogy  between  the  ifiyl'r'o- 
gical  ideas  of  the  Indians  of  North  America  an]  tho.<i"  ..'the  Asiatic 
Tartars,  as  they  have  been  described  to  us  b}'  tht..  kiuiiod  Russians, 
who  hare  visited  them  net  many  years  sinic. 

The  analogy  between  them  and  the  notions  of  the  Greeks,  is 
equally  evident.  We  discern  the  Great  Manitou  of  the  savages,  in 
the  Jupiter  of  the  heroic  ages,  or  their  savage  times ;  with  this  dif- 
ference only,  that  the  Manitou  of  the  Americans,  lends  a  melan- 
choly, poor,  and  wearisome  life,  like  themselves;  while  the  Jupiter 
of  Homer,  and  of  Hesiod,  displays  all  the  magnificence  of  the  court 
of  Hecnt*  uipylean  Thebes,  the  wonderful  secrets  of  which  have 
been  disglosed  to  us  in  the  present  age.  See  the  elegant  work  of 
Mr.  Denon,  on  the  high  degree  of  taste,  learning,  and  perfection, 
at  M'hich  the  arts  had  arrived  in  that  Thehes,  which  was  buried  in 
the  night  of  history,  before  Greece  or  Italy  were  knoM^n. 

In  the  lesser  Manitous  of  the  Indians, 'are  equally  evident  the 
subordinate  deities  of  Greece  ;  the  genii  of  the  woods  and  foun- 
tains, and  the  demons  honored  with  a  similar  su])ersti(ious  worship. 

The  conclusion  Volney  draws  from  all  this,  is  not  that  the  In- 
dians have  derived  their  notions  from  Greece,  but  rather  are  deriv- 
able froni  Shamanism,  or  the  iidi  ic  ^y.stera  of  Buddn,  which  b|  read 
itself  from  Flindostan  among  ,'  <.  ^.s  of  the  .,ia  world,  where 
it  is  found  even  to  the  extremities  of  Spain,  and  Scotland,  and  Cim- 
brica. 

Yet  as  traits  of  the  Grecian  nations  arc  found,  especially  in  South 
America,  as  in  the  discovery  of  the  subterranean  cavity  of  mason 
work,  noticed  on  page  44,  and  in  the  cave  on  the  Ohio,  as  noticed 
on  naee  143,  it  is  not  imnossible,  but  that  from  the  Greeks,  some- 


AND    DISCOVRRIES    IN    THE    WEST. 


389 


time  in  tt'iii  country  before  the  Indians  found  their  way  here,  they 
may  have  coiunmnirated  there  mythological  notions  to  the  more 
ancient  utli  i))itants,  from  whom  the  Tartars,  or  our  Indians,  when 
(hey  conquered  or  'Irove  away  that  people,  imbibvd  their  opinions; 
aa  it  is  uot  without  precedent,  that  the  conquered  have  given  to  the 
conqueror  their  religion  as  well  as  their  country. 


TRAITS  OF  ANCIENT  ROMANS  IN   AMERICA. 


1  I 


On  poges  40  and  69  inclusive,  of  this  work,  ^e  have  veiifured 
the  conjecture,  that  the  Romans  coIoniz..'d  various  parts  of  America. 
We  still  imagine  such  a  conjecture  by  i  means  impossible,  as  to- 
kens of  their  presence  are  evidently  yet  'xtant  in  the  vale  of  Mex- 
ico. See  page  269,  where  is  an  account  of  a  temple,  which 
was  built  and  dedicated  as  sacred  to  the  worship  of  the  sun  and 
onoon. 

Tne  religions  of  nations  furnish,  it  is  presumed,  the  strongest 
possible  evidence  of  origin.  On  this  accoii  it,  the  temples  of  the 
sun  and  moon  in  Mexico,  exactly  answer  to  the  same  objects  ot  de- 
votion, worshipped  by  the  ancient  Romans. 

That  they  are  similar  in  both  countries,  we  prove  from  Gibbon's 
Roman  empire,  page  233,  Vol.  Ist,  as  follows  : — The  sun  was  wor- 
shipped at  Emesa,  by  the  Romans,  under  the  i.ame  of  Elagabalua, 
or  God,  under  the  form  of  a  black  conical  stone .  which,  it  was  uni- 
versally believed,  had  fallen  from  heaven,  on  that  sacred  place. 

This  stone,  we  observe,  was  undoubtedly  wha  is  termed  an  sero- 
lithis,  a  copious  account  of  which  is  given  by  Di  Adam  Clarke,  as 
being  thrown  out  of  the  moon  by  the  force  of  vo.  "^anic  eruptions  in 
that  planet,  which,  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  out  of  the  moon's 
attraction,  fell  immediately  to  the  earth,  being  drawn  hither  by  the 
stronger  force  of  the  centripetal  power.  A  stone  falling  to  the  earth 
under  such  circumstances,  was  quite  sufficient  to  c!iallenge  the  ado- 
ration of  the  pagan  nations  as  coming  down  from  t  ne  gods,  or  from 
the  sun,  as  a  representative  of  that  luminary. 


If: 
'—I 


m 


AMERICAN  ANT<)UITIES 


Accordingly,  this  stone  became  deified,  nndjwas  set  up  to  be  wor* 
shipped,  as  the  sun's  vicegerent  among  men.  Gibbon  says  that  to 
this  protecting  deity,  the  stone,  Antonius,  not  without  some  reason, 
ascribed  his  elevation  to  the  throne  of  the  Roman  empire.  The 
triumph  of  this  stone  god  over  a|l  the  religions  of  the  earth,  was 
the  great  object  of  this  emperor's  zeal  and  vanity  :  and  the  appel- 
lation of  Elegabalus,  which  he  had  bestowed  on  the  serolithis,  was 
dearer  to  that  emperor  than  all  the  titles  of  imperidl  greatness. 

In  a  solemn  procession  through  the  streets  of  Rome,  the  way 
was  strewed  with  gold  dust  ;  the  black  stone  set  in  precious  gems, 
•was  placed  on  ai  chariot  drawn  by  six  milk  white  horses,  richly  ca- 
parisoned. The  pious  emperor  held  the  reins,  and  supported  by 
his  ministers,  moved  slowly,  with  his  face  toward  the  image,  that 
he  might  perpetually  enjoy  the  felicity  of  the  divine  presence. 

In  H  magnificent  temple,  raised  on  the  Palatine  Mount,  the  sacri- 
fices of  the  god  Elagabalus  were  celebrated  with  every  circum- 
stance of  cost  and  solemnity.  The  richest  wines,  the  most  extra- 
ordinary victims,  and  the  rarest  aromatics,  were  profusely  consumed 
on  his  altar.  Around  him  a  chorus  of  Syrian  damsels  performed 
their  lascivous  dances  to  the  sound  of  barbarian  music,  whilst  the 
gravest  personages  of  the  state  and  army,  clothed  in  long  Phcenician 
tunics,  officiated  in  the  meanest  functions,  with  affected  zeal,  and 
secret  indignation. 

To  this  temple,  as  to  a  common  centre  of  religious  worship,  the 
imperial  fanatic  attempted  to  remove  the  Ancilia,  the  Palladium, 
and  all  the  sacred  pledges  of  the  faith  of  Numa.  A  crowd  of  in- 
ferior deities  attained  in  various  stations,  the  majesty  of  the  god 
of  Emesa,  Elegabalus. 

But  the  court  of  this  god  was  still  imperfect,  till  a  female  of  dis- 
tinguished rank  was  admitted  to  his  bed.  Pallas  had  been  first 
chosen  for  his  consort ;  but  as  it  was  dreaded  lest  her  warlike  ter- 
rors might  affright  the  soft  delicacy  of  a  Syrian  deity,  the  moon  ado- 
red by  the  Africans,  under  the  name  of  Astarte,  was  deemed  a  more 
suitable  companion  for  the  sun.  Her  image,  with  the  rich  offerings 
of  her  temple  as  a  marriage  portion,  was  transported,  with  solemn 
pomp,  from  Carthage  to  Rome  ;  and  the  day  of  thiese  mystic  nup- 
tials was  a  general  festival  in  the  capital,  an(l  throughout  the  em- 
pire. 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN   THE   WEST. 


391 


Here  then,  at  Emesa,  in  Italy,  the  Romans  worshipped  the  sun 
and  moon  ;  so  did  the  Mexicans,  with  equal  pomp  and  costliness^ 
in  the  vale  of  Mexico.  If,  therefore,  in  the  two  countries,  the 
same  identical  religion,  having  the  same  identical  objects  of  wor- 
ship, existed,  it  would  seem,  no  great  stretch  of  credulity,  or  exer- 
tion of  fancy,  to  suppose  them  practised  by  the  same  people  in  ei- 
ther country. 

The  ancient  Romans,  or  rather,  the  Romans  after  they  had  risen 
to  great  consequence,  and  had  founded  and  built  many  cities,  were 
remarkable  in  one  particular,  over  and  above  all  other  particulars, 
and  this  was,  in  the  construction  of  a  grand  national  road,  of  three 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty  English  miles  in  length.  This 
Rational  road  issued  from  the  Forum  of  Rome,  traversed  Italy, 
pervaded  the  provinces,  and  terminated  only  by  the  frontiers  of 
the  Empire,  and  was  divided  off  into  distinct  miles,  by  a  stone  be- 
ing set  up  at  the  termination  of  each,  as  in  the  present  times.  The 
same  was  the  case  with  ancient  people  of  South  America,  in  the 
times  cf  the  Incas  ;  who,  as  Humboldt  informs  us,  had  one  grand 
road,  which  is  even  traceable  at  the  present  time,  of  a  thousand 
leagues  in  length,  running  along  on  the  high  ground  of  the  Cor- 
dileras,  and  was  paved  with  large  flat  stones  the  whole  length.  In 
this  very  respect,  that  is,  of  paving  their  roads  with  large  stones 
the  Romans  and  the  South  Americans  were  alike.  For  Gibbon 
says,  that  in  the  construction  of  the  Roman  national  highway,  they 
not  only  perforated  mountains,  raised  bold  arches  over  the  broadest 
and  most  rapid  streams,  but  paved  it  with  large  stones,  and  in  some 
places  even  with  granite. 

In  another  respect  they  are  alike ;  the  Romans  raised  this  road 
so  as  to  be  able  to  overlook  the  country  as  it  was  travelled :  so  also 
did  the  Americans,  in  choosing  the  high  grounds  of  the  Cordileras 
to  build  it  upon. 

It  would  seem  also,  that  in  the  very  construction  of  their  cities, 
towns,  and  palaces,  as  found  scattered  over  many  parts  of  South 
America,  even  along  on  the  coasts  of  the  Pacific,  according  to  Hum- 
boldt and  more  recent'researches,  they  modelled  them,  in  some 
sense,  after  the  manner  of  the  Romans ;  especially  in  the  vastness 
of  their  capacity,  or  area  which  they  occupied.  ^         * 

However,  it  is  clear,  that  as  the  American  architecture  did  not 
nartake  of  the  rel^ement  of  taste  in  the  finish  of  their  buildings. 


•;  ■;■  ;Tif  ■/■,■• '-.-(*=;•/   -■ 


8A2 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


,i:i       4- 


which  characterise  those  of  the  Romans,  that  they,  the  former,  ^ref 
the  elder  of  the  two ;  and  that  the  American  nations  in  the  perflon» 
of  their  ancestors  came  from  Africa^  and  about  the  country  of  the 
Mediterranean,  in  the  very  first  age  of  their  improvement,  or  de^ 
parture  from  barbarism.  From  all  this  it  cannot  but  be  inferred^ 
that  the  continent  is  indebted  to  that  part  of  the  old  world  for  that 
class  of  inhabitants,  who  introduced  among  the  first  nations  of  the 
continent,  the  arts  as  found  in  practice  by  Columbus,  when  he 
landed  on  its  shores. 

With  this  view,  we  think  there  is  light  thrown  on  the  curious 
subject  of  the  Mexican  tradition,  with  respect  to  the  white  and 
bearded  men  before  spoken  of  in  this  volume  ;  who,  as  they  say,, 
came  among  them  from  the  rising  sun,  and  became  their  legislators. 
And  as  the  Romans  were  a  maritime  people,  and  had  become  re- 
fined, long  before  the  savages  of  the  north  of  Europe,  and  made, 
according  to  Gibbon,  prodigious  voyages,  they  may  have  been  the 
very  people  who  colonized  the  island  of  Jesso  and  Japan,  who 
were  a  white  and  bearded  race,  from  whom,  in  another  part  oi  this 
work,  we  have  supposed  these  Mexican  legislators  may  hsve  been 
derived;  in  either  case,  there  is  no  difiiculty,  the  origin  is  the 
same. 

We  are  firm  in  the  belief  that  the  Carthaginians,  Phoenicians, 
Roman  and  Greek  nations  of  antiquity,  have  had  more  to  do  in  the 
peopling  of  the  wilds  of  America,  as  well  also  as  the  Europeans, 
after  their  civilization,  than  is  generally  supposed. 

There  was  found  among  the  nations  of  Mexico,  another  trait  of 
character  strongly  resembling  a  Roman  practice,  and  this  was,  that 
df  single  combat  with  deadly  instruments,  called  the  fight  of  the 
Gladiators.  This  among  the  Romans  was  carried  to  so  shameful 
and  murderous  a  degree,  that  Commodus,  one  of  their  emperors,' 
killed,  with  his  owit  hands,  as  a  gladiator,  seven  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-five persons. 

Of  this  emperor.  Gibbon  says,  that  being  elated  with  the  praise? 
of  the  multitude,  which  gradually  extinguished  the  innate  sense  of 
shame,  Commodus  resolved  to  exhibit  before  the  eyes  of  the  Ro- 
man people,  those  exercises,  which  till  then  he  had  decently  con- 
fined within  the  walls  of  his  palace,  and  to  the  presence  of  his  f^^- 
vorites. 


,.4 


*«:% 


f/ 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN   THE    WEST. 


sod 


Oil  the  appointed  day,  the  various  motives  of  flattery,  fear,  and 
curiosity,  attracted  to  the  amphitheatre  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  spectators ;  and  some  degree  of  applause  was  deservedly  bestow- 
ed on  the  uncommon  skill  of  the  imperial  performer.  Whether  he 
aimed  at  the  head  or  heart  of  the  animal,  the  wound  was  alike  cer- 
tain and  mortal.  With  arrows  whose  point  was  shaped  in  the 
form  of  a  crescent,  Commodus  often  intercepted  the  rapid  career, 
and  cut  asunder  the  long  and  bony  neck  of  the  ostrich. 

A  panther  was  let  loose,  and  the  archer  waited  till  he  had  leap- 
ed upon  a  trembling  malefactor.  In  the  same  instant  the  shaft 
flew,  ths  beast  dropt  dead,  and  the  man  remained  unhurt.  The 
dens  of  the  amphitheatre  disgorged  at  once  a  hundred  lions ;  a  hun- 
dred darts  in  succession,  from  the  unerring  hand  of  Commodus,  laid 
them  dead  as  they  ran  raging  around  the  arena.  Such  it  appears 
were  the  prowess  and  the  sports  of  the  ancient  Romans,  whose 
counterpart,  as  it  respecis  this  peculiar  trait,  the  fight  of  the  gladia- 
tor, was  found  among  the  Mexican  usages  of  North  America, 
i;!  Again,  wlien  the  Romans  first  got  footing  in  the  island  of  Britain^ 
they  erected,  or  laid  the  foundation  of  a  town,  which  they  named 
Verulam,  which  soon  took  the  title  and  rank  of  a  city.  This  town, 
according  to  their  pecviiar  manner,  wag  at  first  circumscribed  by  a 
wall,  including  about  an  hundred  acres,  the  traits  of  which  still 
appear. 

These  square  inclosures  are  found  in  America,  as  treated  upon 
in  our  account  of  the  Roman  squares  at  or  near  Marietta  ;  strength- 
ening the  belief  that  Roman  colonies  have,  in  former  ages,  settled 
in  America. 


AMERICAN  LANGUAGES— WAHTANI  OR  MANDAN. 


The  vocabularies  of  languages  collected  by  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
in  their  memorable  journey  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  appear  to  have 
been  lost  and  never  published.  It  is  said  they  were  put  into  the 
hands  of  Dr.  Benj.  Barton,  who  made  no  use  of  them  ;  since  his 
death  they  have  disappeared,  and  cannot  be  traced  any  where. 

I  met  in  Lexington,  Ky.  Mr.  George  Shannon  who  was  one  of 

the  comnanions  of  Lewis  in  that  voyagCj  and  who  furnished  me 

50 


t  f 


amt^rica:'  amiquittes 


tvi'th  some  words  of  Ihe  Mandiins  on  t!:t  Upper  Missouri,  who  he 
■aid  call  themselves  Whniar.Js,  ht«!e  added  to  a  few  scattered  in 
Lewis'  Travels,  form  th:*  follov.ing  32  words. 


*Father 

Papa 

Black 

Sahera 

Motlier 

Nayc'.i 

Red 

Nopa 

*Ma% 

Niimiikt'h 

Knife 

Maheh 

Woman 

Mikheh 

*No 

Nicosh 

Water 

Miiuh 

Big 

Ahin  ah 

God 

. 

Hupanish 

Little 

Ha  mi 

mi 

Naweh 

Fox 

Ohhaw 

Village 

Ahnah 

Cat 

Poscop 

Meat 

Mascopi 

Wild  Sluep 

Ahsatah 

Com 

Cohanteh 

Mocasin 

Orup 

Cold 

Shiuihush 

Wolf 

• 

Shekeh 

White 

Shahar 

1 

Mahanah 

6 

Kimah 

■ 

2 

Nupah 

7 

Ktipah 

3 

Naiueni 

8 

Tetoki 

4 

Topah      ,v 

*9 

Macpeh 

5 

Kehun 

10 

Pirokeh. 

The  4  words  marked  *  have  some  analogy  with  the  English, 
thirough  remote  courses  as  usual,  equal  to  12  per  cent,  of  mutual 
affinity. 

This  language  is  totally  new  tc  the  learned,  it  is  fnuud  iu  none 
of  the  great  philological  works.  It  is  stated  hy  Lewis  to  differ 
widely  from  the  Minitari,  allies  and  neighbors  of  the  Mandans,  al- 
though a  dialect  of  it ;  both  are  referred  to  the  great  Pakhi  family 
of  the  North,  themselves  a  branch  of  the  Skereh  or  Panis  group 
of  nations  and  languages.  But  this  surmise  appears  to  me  errone* 
ous,  I  can  see  hut  little  analogy  with  the  Panis  and  Recara  dia- 
lects ;  but  instead,  many  similarities  with  the  Yancton  and  Konzas 
dialects  of  the  Missouri  tribes.  The  Wahtasuns  or  Ahnahaways 
of  Lewis,  called  Ayawahs  by  Shannon,  are  a  branch  of  the  Otos 
and  Ayowehs  of  lower  Missouri,  although  settled  near  the  Man- 
dans,  and  speaking  an  akin  dialect. 

The  word  mini  for  water  is  found  in  all  the  Missouri  tribes.  In 
comparing  the  10  Maudan  numbers  with  the  list  of  decimals  in  60 


--Vf^aV  • 


AND   DISCOVERIES  IN  THE   WEST. 


a9» 


r 


N.  A.  dialects  in  Tanner's  Narrative,  the  greatest  amount  of  analo- 
gies an;  found  in  the 

Konza  1.  Meakche,  2  Nonpah,  3  Topah.  Analogy  30  perct. 
nearly  the  same  in  Omawah- 

Yancton  1  Wanchah,  2  Nonpah  3  Yahmene,  4  Topah.  Equal 
to  40  per  ct.  the  same  in  the  Dakotah  or  Sioux. 

Minitari  2  Nohopah,  3  Nahme,  4  Topah,  5  Chehoh,  6  Acahme, 
7  Chappo.     Equal  to  60  per  cent,  of  analogy. 

While  the  Pani  has  only  10  p.  cent  of  analogy  by  the  single 
number  2  Patko.  The  Muscogih  so  fat  to  the  S.  £.  has  even 
more  or  20  per  ct.  in  1  Homai,  10  Pekole ;  but  they  are  very 
remote. 

Mr.  Catlin,  who  has  visited  the  Mandans  this  year,  1832,  says 
they  are  properly  called  Sipo$ka-nuhaki  meaning  people  of  the 
pheasant !  thus  >ye  have  3  names  for  this  nation,  this  is  not  unusual, 
each  nation  having  many  nick-names  in  N.  America.  He  says 
they  are  reduced  to  1800  souls,  and  that  the  Minitari  speak  a  dia- 
lect of  the  Upsaroka  or  Crow  Indians. 

C.  S.  RAFINESQUE. 


Languages  of  Oregon — Cliopunhh  and  Chinuc, 

Mr.  Shannon  confirmed  the  fact  that  only  3  languages  were  met 
with  in  the  Oregon  mts  and  country.  1  The  Shoshonis  in  the  mts, 
2  Chopunise  from  mts  to  the  falls  of  the  Oregon  or  Columbia  R.  3 
Chinuc  from  hence  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  But  they  are  spoken  in 
a  multitude  of  dialects. 

The  Shoshoni  is  pretty  well  known  to  be  a  branch  of  the  AHe- 
tau  or  Western  Skereh,  spoken  as  far  as  Mexico.  The  other  two 
are  less  known.  Mr.  S.  could  only  furnish  12  words  of  Cliopun- 
ish,  a  few  more  met  with  in  Lewis  and  Cox  enable  me  to  give  24 
words  of  it. 


Sky 

Tetoh 

liFaramay 

Wayot 

Water 

Mekish 

■\Nose 

Nashne 

River 

Ishkit 

Arm 

Tunashe 

Lund 

Kaima 

j/Zearf,  top 

Chop 

•\Father 

Papa 

Flat 

Unish 

Son 

Illim 

Cut 

Pakehuk 

tiS'utt 

Spokan 

Broken 

Mutult 

J^^  .^. 


',    ■»' 


% 


396 


#* 


16 

AMERICAN 

ANTIQUITIKS 

Road 

Ahish 

.Jitdr                    Ya 

Buffalo 

Cokala    ' 

V 

Fall 

"   ♦-  ''       Tim. 

1     Nox 

4     Pilapt 

2    Lappit 

•J     Quis 

3    Mutat 

flO     Potemt 

»* 


It  is  singular  that  this  uncouth  language  has  six  analogies  |  out 
of  24  with  the  English,  by  primitive  connection,  equal  to  25  per 
cent.     It  is  therefore  Asiatic  like  the  Saca  or  old  Saxon. 

1  am  at  a  loss  to  refer  it  to  any  group  of  American  languages,  I 
had  put  it  among  the  Wakash  or  Nutka  group  in  my  table ;  but  it 
is  widely  separated  from  it.     New  to  science  as  well  as  the  next. 

Of  the  Chinuc  I  have  collected  33  words  from  Cox,  Lewis, 
and  other  sources.  Cox  calls  it  unutterable  and  says  it  lacks  F. 
V.  R. 


Chief                     Tia,  Taye  ■\\yhale 

Good                     Clouch  Money 

^Cake         '           Pacheco  Beads 

■\Ialand                   Ela  Day 

God*                      Etalapass  Deer 

Etanemi  Bear 

Men           *            Tillikum  Salmon 

Givm                      Pattach  Tobacco 

•}•/,  me                   Maik  Pipe 

There                    Kok  Gun 

Sit  down                Mittait  Blanket 
I  do  not  understand  Wake  Comatox 

The  deciinals  I  have  in  two  dialects. 


Ecola 

Haiqua 

Comosliuk 

Camux 

Mulak,  Lap 

Host 

Equannat 

Quayenult 

Kulama 

Sakqualal 

Poclishqua. 


1 
2 
3 

4 
5 


Ect,  Icht 
Moxt,  Makust 
Clunc,  Thlovvn 
Uct,  Lakut 


C  Tuckum,  Tackut 

7  Sinanixt,  Sinbakust 

8  Stutkin,  Stuktekan 

9  Quayels,  Quayust 
10  Taitlelum,  Italilum. 


Quanim,  quanuni 

The  4  marks  f  indicate  4  in  33  of  analogy  with  the  English, 
equal  to  12  percent. 

3  words,  man,  9  and  10  have  a  slight  analogy  with  the  Chopuu- 
iish  out  of  9  in  the  two  lists,  which  gives  33  per  cent,  of  ana- 
logy* 


AND   DISCOVERIES   IN  THE   WEST- 


397 


North  of  the  Chinuc  and  Chopunish,  are  fouud  the  Wakash  and 
Atnah  tribes  and  languages,  the  last  has  many  dialects  connected 
with  the  western  Lenilenap  group  and  it  appears  that  both  the 
Chinuc  and  Chopunjsh  I^ave  more  analogies  with  them  than  with 
the  Wakash  :  the  word  man  is  an  instance  and  proof  of  it. 

In  the  Wakash  the  numbers  have  some  slight  affinities  with 
those  of  the  Onguys  and  Wiyandots  of  the  East,  while  in  the 
Chinuc  and  the  others,  these  decimals  resemble  the  Shawani  and 
other  Eastern  Lenilenap  Dialects.     Examples. 

MusqnaJd.  1  Nekot,  4  Kotwauskik,  5.  Kotwauswa,  9.  Shaunk. 
4  in  10  or  40  per  cent,  with  Chinuc. 

Shawani.  1  Nguti,  5.  Ninlanwi,  6.  Kukatswi,  10.  Matatswi, 
also  40  per  cent. 

Mohegan-  1  Ugvvito,  5.  Nunon  6  Ugwitus,  10  Neteumit  also  40 
per  cent. 

I  conclude  therefore  that  the  Chinuc  (and  perhaps  the  Chopun- 
ish also)  is  one  of  the  Lenapian  languages  of  the  West,  one  of  the 
fragments  of  that  vast  ancient  nation  that  has  spread  from  the  Pa- 
cific to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  200  Nations  and  tribes.  The  Ainus 
of  Eastern  Asia  appear  to  be  their  ancestors. 

C.  S.  RAFINESQUE. 


4 


•t. 


THE  GOLD  REGIONS  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES. 

From  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  we  have  a 
highly  interesting  description  of  the  gold  districts  in  Georgia  and 
North  Carolina,  extending  west  even  into  the  state  of  Tennessee. 
In  -this  Journal,  gold  is  treated  upon  as  being  extremely  abundant^ 
and  from  the  situation  of  the  veins,  is  far  more  eligible  to  the  ope- 
rations of  the  miner,  than  the  gold  mines  of  South  Amerca ;  these 
having,  as  is  supposed,  been  greatly  deranged  in  places,  and  buried 
deep  by  the  operations  of  volcanoes  ;  while  those  in  the  states  are 
still  in  their  primitive  state  of  formation. 

Gold  is  found  connected  with  various  formations  of  slate,  with 
red  clay,  and  in  the  bottoms  of  streams,  mingled  with  the  sand  and 
gravel.  It  is  found  with  the  heavy  gravelly  earth  of  the  moun- 
tains, but  most  of  all,  in  the  kind  of  rock  called  quartz,  which  is 
also  mingled  with  slate.  In  North  Carolina,  on  Valley  River,  gold 
is  found  in  abundance,  connected  with  the  quartz  rock,  which  also 


■*,.;  1 


c^-«t'" 


.jiJ^tiPsi-V 


398 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES 


•   .    '^ 


A  . 


J*,.'-. 


abounds  with  chrystal,  running  in  veins  in  every  direction,  in  tis- 
sues from  the  size  of  a. straw  to  that  of  a  man's  arm.  The  quartz 
is  in  great  masses  very  compact,  and  of  a  yellow  golden  hue,  from 
the  abundant  presence  of  the  metal.  In  the  bottom  of  this  river 
much  deposited  gold  is  found  in  strata. 

It  would  appear,  from  the  evidences  yet  remaining,  that  the  an- 
cient inhabitants  we're  not  insensible  to  the  existence  of  the  golden 
mines  here,  nor,  of  course,  of  its  value  ;  for,  "  in  the  vicinity  were 
found  the  remains  of  ancient  works ;  many  shafts  have  been  sunk 
by  them  in  pursuit  of  the  ore,  and  judging  from  the  masses  thrown 
tip,  one  of  them  penetrated  a  quartz  rock  to  a  great  depth,  as  about, 
thirty  feet  still  lies  open  to  view. 

There  is  also  a  deep  and  difficult  cut  across  a  very  bold  vein  of 
this  rock,  in  pursuit  of  metal,  but  it  is  now  much  filled  up,  having 
been  used  subsequently  for  an  Indian  burying  ground.  At  this 
place,  says  the  Journal,  nothing  short  of  the  steel  pickaxe,  could 
have  left  the  traces  on  the  stone  which  are  found  here. 

Not  far  from  this  place,  have  been  found  the  remains  of  a  small 
-furnace,  the  walls  of  which  had  been  formed  of  soap  stone,  so  as 
to  endure  the  heat  without  being  fractured.  In  the  county  of  Ha- 
bersham, in  North  Carolina,  was  lately  dug  out  of  the  earth,  at  a 
place  where  the  gold  ore  is  found,  a  small  vessel  in  the  form  of  a 
ckillet.  It  was  fifteen  feet  under  ground,  made  of  a  compound  of 
tin  and  copper^  with  a  trace  of  iron.  The  copper  and  tin  in  its  com- 
position, are  undoubtedly  the  evidence  of  its  antiquity.  See  the 
plate  at  letter  G,  where  an  exact  facsimile  of  this  vessel  is  engraved 
taken  from  the  Journal  of  Science  aud  Arts,  conducted  by  Profes- 
sor Silliman. 

Crucibles  of  earthen  ware,  and  far  better  than  those  now  in  use, 
are  frequently  found  by  the  miners  who  are  now  working  the  mines 
of  North  Carolina.  By  actual  experiment  they  are  found  to  en- 
dure the  heat  three  times  as  long  as  the  Hessian  crucibles,  which 
are  the  best  now  in  use.  Bits  of  machinery,  such  as  is  necessary 
in  elevating  the  ore  from  the  depths,  as  used  by  the  ancient  na- 
tions, are  also  frequently  found  in  the  earth  where  those  mines 
exist,  which  clearly  shows  those  ancients  acquainted  with  the" 
minerals. 

On  the  top  of  Yeona  mountain,  in  the  same  region,  still  exist 
the  remains  of  a  stone  wall,  which  exhibit  the  angles  of  a  fortifica- 


•s 


.s*&... 


•    ♦ 


..«; 


■V>i 


AND  DIICOVERIGS  IN  THE   WEST. 


S9d 


Ss.. 


tion,  ttiA  guard  the  only  accessible  poi  '}f  ascent  to  its  summit. 
Timber  in  the  Cherokee  country,  bearing  marks  of  the  axe,  (not 
of  stoue,)  have  been  taken  up  at  the  depth  of  ten  feet  below  the 
surface.  Indian  tradition,  says  Mr.  Silliman,  gives  no  account  of 
these  remains.  This  article,  which  was  found  in  the  gold  mine  in 
Habersham  county,  formed  of  copper  and  tin,  is  in  this  respect,  like 
the  mining  chissel  described  by  Humboldt,  on  pi>ge  185  of  this 
work.  The  timber  found  ten  feet  beneath  the  surface,  in  Georgia 
and  North  Carolina,  bearing  the  marks  of  having  beerx  cut  down 
and  cut  in  two  with  axes  of  metal,  are  to  be  referred  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Europeans — the  Danes,  Wel''h,  &c.,of  whom  we  have 
already  spoken  in  severel  parts  of  this  yoiume.  We  consider  them 
the  same  with  the  authors  of  the  stone  walls  which  we  have  men- 
tioned that  were  found  in  North  Carolina,  and  also  with  the  authors 
of  the  iron  axes,  found  in  a  saltpetre  cave,  on  the  river  Gasconade, 
far  to  the  west,  as  mentioned  in  Beck's  Gazetteer  ;  and  also  the 
same  with  the  authors  of  the  stone  buildings,  a  foundation  of  one 
of  which  is  represented  on  the  plate.     See  Frontispiece. 

It  would  appear  front  all  this,  that  these  Europeans  had  made 
extensive  settlements  in  various  places,  extending  over  an  immense 
range  of  this  country,  before  they  were  cut  off  by  the  Indians  ;  as 
we  cannot  suppose  any  other  enemy  capable  of  so  dreadful  and  ge- 
neral a  slaughter. 

It  is  said  that  the  ancient  Phoenicians  first  discovered  the  art  of 
manufacturing  tools  from  the  union  of  copper  and  tin,  the  same  of 
which  this  skillet  is  found  to  be  formed ;  and  that  of  the  Phoeni- 
cians, the  Greeks  and  Romans,  learned  the  art,  who  it  is  likely 
communicated  the  same  to  the  ancient  Britons  ;  and  from  these,  in 
process  of  time,  the  Danes,  tke  Welch,  the  Scotch,  and  the  Norwe- 
gians, brought  it  with  them  to  the  wilds  of  America.  Or  if  we  re- 
ject this,  we  may  refer  the  working  of  those  mines  of  gold,  not  to 
the  Malays,  Polynesian,  and  Australasian  tribes  ;  but  rather  to  the 
more  enlightened  nations  of  Egypt,  Phoenicia,  Greece,  Rome,  Me- 
dia, Persia,  Germany,  all  of  whom,  as  we  believe,  have  from  time 
to  time — from  era  to  era — furnished  emigrants  to  this  country. 

In  evidence,  in  part,  of  this  belief,  we  refer  the  reader  to  such 
parts  of  this  volume  as  attempt  to  make  this  appear,  and  especially 
to  page  116  ;  where  an  account  of  the  Piioeuician  characters,  as 
baviug  beeu  uiscovereu  iu  America,  is  mentioned.    But  how  the 


0i 


% 


--•«« 


{*■ 


%;j 


3  Kt: 


,  «#.' 


400 


AMERICAN   ANTIQUITIES 


•.^.   r<k- 


m  article  of  copper,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  and  is  engraved  on  the  plate,  arkl 

how  the  timber,  which  bears  the  mark  of  Uie  axe,  found  buried  in  various  places 

in  North  Carolina,  came  to  be  buried  ae  deep,  is  a  question  of  no  small  roon^ent. 

w  Surely  the  natural  increase  of  earth,  by  the  decay  of  vegetables,  and  Jbrests, 

coUld  never  have  buried  them  tlius  deep;  their  position  would  rather  argue  that 

,    «  **  they  have  been  submerged  by  the  the  sudden  rush  of  waters.    As  favoring  tfiis 

>,.  opinion,  we  notice,  that  the  mountain  ranges  here  are  such  as  cross  the  riven 

j/f^  flowing  from  the  west,  which  pass  off  to  the  sea,  through  North  Carolina,  South 

Carolina,  and  Georgia.     See  the  map  of  those  states,  when  at  once  this  appears 

^  ^'  to  bo  the  real  formation  and  course  of  the  mountains. 

One  of  these  ranges  is  denominated  the  Yeona  range  ;  which  gives  off  three 
separate  sections  ;  one  in  Tennessee,  one  in  western  North  Carolina,  and  one 
V  in  Georgia,  all  running  along  the  western  ends  of  these  states,  which  lie  along 

the  Atlantic.     The  Blue  Ridge  and  thj  Wuaka  mountains  approach  each  other, 
•*         and  form  jointly  the  separation  of  the  E.  from  the  W.  waters.  As  this  range  contin- 
',         ues  from  the  west ;  another  range,  not  less  formidable,  approaches  from  the  north. 
<f-  These  are  the  Waldeus  ridge,  and  Cumberk  'i  1  mountains,  which  tniite  them- 

selves with  tlie  former;  when  this  union  tal'.n  «he  name  of  Lookout  Mountain. 
At  this  point  oi  intersection,  where  the  ur.^on  of  immense  mountains  on  either 
side,  formed  a  barrier  to  the  streams  which  flowed  from  fifty  thousand  square 
•  miles  of  country,  the  waters  broke  through. 

The  evidence  at  this  place,  of  the  war  of  the  elements,  is  the  admiration  of 
all  who  pass  the  broken  mountain,  through  what  is  called  the  suck,  and  boiling 
chaldron,  near  the  confines  of  the  state  of  Tennessee.  At  this  place,  the  vast 
accumulation  cf  waters,  it  is  evident,  broke  through,  and  deluged  the  country 
below,  toward  the  sea,  over \ helming  whatever  settlements  the  Danes,  or  other 
people  of  the  old  world,  in.iy  have  made  there,  especially  along  the  lowest 
grounds,  till  the  waters  were  drained  to  the  Atlantic.  This  position  easily  ac- 
counts for  the  appearances  of  such  articles  as  h?.ve  been  disintered,  with  that 
of  Timber,  from  the  depths  mentioned  in  the  Journal  of  Science.  Such  a  cir- 
'{■  cumstance  may  have  gone  far  to  weaken  the  prowess  of  those  nations.  So  tliat 

'•  they  could  not,  from  the  survivors  dwelling  on  the  highest  grounds,  soon  recov- 

er their  numbers,  their  order,  their  state  of  defence  and  security,  against  the 
Indians  farther  west,  who  it  is  likely,  watched  all  opportunities  to  destroy  them. 
Finally,  from  all  we  can  gather  on  this  momentuous  subject,  we  are  compel- 
led, from  the  overwhelming  amount  of  evidence  to  admit  that  mighty  nations, 
'.  with  almost  unbounded  empire,  with  various  degrees  of  improvement,  have  oc- 

',  cupied  the  continent,  and  that,  as  in  the   old  world,  empire  has  succeeded 

empire,  rising  one  out  of  the  other,  from  the  jarring  interests  of  the  unwieWy 
and  ferocious  mass:    So  also  in  this. 

And,  also,  that  convulsion  has  succeeded  convulsion,  deluge  succeeded  de-  * 
luge,  breaking  down  mountains,  the  barriers  of  rivets,  deranging  and  destroy- 
ing the  ancient  nations,  till  '*  has,  at  length,  assumed  a  settled  and  more  perma- 
nent state  of  things,  where  the  happy  million^  of  the  present  race  now  in- 
habit in  great  America. 


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